The Story of Mount Ebott
by Mark123100
Summary: After I fell into a mountain during a field trip gone wrong, I knew that I needed to find a way home. I just wish that the monsters down here weren't so weird... (Undertale Novelization)
1. Preface and Prologue

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

* * *

 **Preface: "Humble Beginnings"**

Hey, there. How's it going? There's not much to say about me. I live in Ebbot Town, which is no longer "the most boring place on Earth." Why, you ask? Well…

A few years ago, I fell into the mountain known as Mount Ebott. One might say that I should have died that day, but against all odds, I lived to tell the tale, and I discovered a magical race of monsters that lived inside the mountain. My story began with a field trip organized by Ebott School, the most boring (and only) school in Ebott Town…"

* * *

 **Prologue: "A Boring Field Trip":**

 _Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters._ _One day, war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans were victorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell. Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return…That's probably why someone on the school board thought that Mt. Ebott would be a great place for a field trip…and who believes in legends, anyways?_

"E-Everyone calm down, class!"

I stood at the base of a hill, staring off into space. The pre-packed granola bars were filling, but they did nothing to alleviate the sheer _boredom_ I felt. I wasn't interested in what my peers were doing, mostly because all my classmates were chatting about racecars, comics, and dolls. It was funny to watch Miss Whitley, the substitute teacher, try to maintain some semblance of order while breaking up an argument between Billy and David, but that got old after the first ten minutes. I quietly noticed that Button was trying to get my attention.

"What's up?" he said.

"Nothing. Absolutely _nothing_. Nothing interesting _ever_ happens here," I replied.

Button paused, then asked, "Want to go for a walk? Miss Whitley probably won't notice."

"Sure, why not, anything would be better than this."

In hindsight, this was a very stupid choice, but believe me, _you would have been bored too_.

* * *

Button and I ditched the class, and we went further up the trail. After a few minutes, we came across a clearing and a dark cave opening.

"Whoa, that cave looks spooky."

"Obviously. The unknown is always spooky, and also _unpleasant_." I looked to the side.

"We should head back now…Button?"

There's a _reason_ why Button was known as the weird kid.

Button had wandered into the cave, and I had to make sure he didn't trip over his untied shoelaces again. I found him staring into a huge hole in the ground. Despite my misgivings, I didn't want my friend to fall into the hole, so I shouted, "Button, we need to head back now!"

"Look, I can't see the bottom of-"

The next few seconds happened extremely fast. Button tripped over a large root. His mouth opened in horror. He screamed as he fell, but I managed to grab his legs.

"Ahh! Someone help me!"

" _Calm down_! I've got you, now hold still!"

I pulled him up, and he crawled away from the hole.

"Thank God, I can't believe we made i-"

And that's when the ground collapsed. Before I fell, the last thing I saw was Button's shocked face. There was only one thing on my mind.

 _Button just_ had _to tempt fate, didn't he…?_


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

 **Chapter 1: "Welcome to the Underground"**

While I was unconscious, I had a fever dream. I saw images of an ancient war between humans and monsters. I also saw a young child climb up Mt. Ebott, trip on a root, and fall on a bed of flowers…

In addition to a fever dream, I found myself standing in a black void, with letters spelling the phrase, "Name the fallen human."

"Frisk," I responded.

"WARNING: This name will make your life _hell_. Proceed anyway?"

"…Sure?"

The letters faded away, and I slowly regained consciousness.

 _Did I just die?_

 _No, wait, I'm lying on a bed of flowers_.

As I sat up, I checked my cell phone. It was undamaged, but there was no signal, either. So much for calling for help. Next, I checked my backpack. Nothing more than some cheap granola bars, some bottled water, some spare band-aids, and my lucky stick (long story). I stood up, and looked at the flower bed. As I looked at the yellow flowers, I suddenly heard a voice:

 _(Golden Flowers. They must have broken your fall_.)

"Is someone out there?"

The voice went away as suddenly as it had appeared. I look around. Not seeing anyone, I decided to shrug it off as a headache. I looked upwards, and I saw a huge hole in the ceiling of the room I was in.

 _Definitely not getting out that way._

I walked down the hall, passed through an archway with a strange emblem above it, and paused, because I saw a yellow flower with a _face_. The flower looked at me and smiled.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey. Flowey the Flower! Hee hee hee…Why'd you make me introduce myself? It's rude to act like you don't know who I am. Someone ought to teach you proper manners. I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go."

I felt a tugging sensation in my chest, and a red heart floated out. I stared at it in bewilderment.

"See that heart? That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Your SOUL starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV. What's LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course! You want some LOVE, don't you? Don't worry, I'll share some with you!"

Flowey winked, sticking out his tongue.

 _I'm not dreaming this, aren't I_ , I thought.

Five white objects appeared above me.

"Down here, LOVE is shared through…Little white… 'friendliness pellets.' Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!"

" _Friendliness pellets?" Really? Is that the best you could come up with?_

I avoided the "friendliness pellets" by moving to the left.

Flowey glared at me.

"Hey buddy, you missed them. Let's try again, okay?"

I moved to the right.

Flowey stopped smiling.

"Is this a joke? Are you braindead? RUN. INTO. THE. BULLETS!"

Flowey paused for a second, before giving me a wide grin.

"Friendliness pellets!"

I moved to the left again.

Flowey's expression changed to a jagged smile and black eye sockets.

"You know what's going on here, don't you? You just wanted to see me suffer."

"Eh… I figured it out."

Flowey summoned an inescapable ring of bullets.

" **DIE.**

Flowey cackled as the bullets closed in.

I grimaced.

 _This is going to suck_.

Suddenly, the bullets vanished into thin air.

Flowey stopped cackling. He looked to his left, but he was blindsided by a fireball.

A tall, goat monster wearing a dress with a winged emblem walked up to me.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…"

She looked in my direction.

"Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs. This way."

"My name is Fr-," I began, but Toriel walked away before I could introduce myself.

 _Who in their right mind would want to live in_ catacombs

With nothing better to do, I followed Toriel through another archway.

In the next room, Toriel looked behind her to see if I was following, then walked ahead. I noticed an odd glowing star in front of two sets of stairs. I examined the star.

 _(The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination.)_

I heard the mysterious voice again, as I suddenly felt a burst of warmth spreading through my chest.

Chalking up this event to just another weird occurrence, I followed Toriel to the next room, which contained six panels on the floor, a yellow switch, and a closed door.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one. Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins."

 _Why did she say "new home?" I already have a home. Granted, home's not very_ interesting _, but at least it's_ my _home_.

Toriel walked cross four of the six panels and activated the switch, opening the door.

"The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them."

After educating me on puzzles, she walked through the next archway.

 _That seems rather inconvenient. Imagine having to solve a sudoku puzzle whenever you wanted to buy groceries. Also, do they use puzzles for security down here? Anyone with a functional brain can solve a puzzle._

I followed Toriel, keeping my thoughts to myself.

"To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labelled the ones that you need to flip."

 _If you give away the solutions, doesn't that defeat the purpose?_

Despite my annoyance, I humored Toriel. After pressing the two label switches, a set of spikes retracted.

"Splendid! I am proud of you, little one. Let us move to the next room."

 _Either she's patronizing me, or she's legitimately proud of my ability to follow instructions. I'm not sure which is worse._

Moving on, I observed a cloth dummy in the next room.

"As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy."

 _I've gotten into fights at school before. Violent people usually aren't interested in "talking about their feelings."_

Regardless, I walked up to the dummy. I felt the familiar tugging sensation, and my red SOUL floated out of my chest.

 _(You encountered the Dummy.)_

I looked down, and I noticed an interface that had statistics and options, like the Final Fantasy game that Button once brought to show and tell. I noticed the name Frisk, my LV was 1, my HP was 20 out of 20, and my options were FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, and MERCY. I looked at ACT, then Check.

 _(Check- Dummy: A cotton heart and a button eye. You are the apple of my eye.)_

The Dummy sat quietly. I chose ACT, then Talk.

"How's it going? My name's Frisk. Nice weather today."

 _(…It doesn't seem much for conversation. Toriel seems happy with you. You won! You earned 0 XP and 0 gold.)_

"Ah, very good! You are very good."

 _I wonder how everyone back home is doing. Miss Whitley probably hasn't even noticed I'm gone. My mom must be so worried, and Button is probably kicking himself for what happened. I hope I can find a way home soon…_

I walked through the next archway.

"There is another puzzle in this room…I wonder if you can solve it."

As Toriel and I walked through the room, a small frog monster approached me.

 _(Froggit attacks you!)_

 _(Check: Life is difficult for this enemy.)_

Toriel glared at the Froggit, and the frog slowly hopped away.

Further down the road, there was a large set of _spikes_.

 _Please tell me this is a prank._

"This is the puzzle, but…Here, take my hand for a moment."

Toriel's hand was surprisingly soft, and she led me through the retracting spikes.

"Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now."

 _Understatement of the century, goat lady._

In the next room, Toriel paused, and turned to me.

"You have done excellently thus far, my child. However, I have a difficult request to ask of you…I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this."

Toriel walked down the hallway, and I followed. Somehow, she ran out of my view, and then she came out from behind a pillar at the end of the hall.

"Greetings, my child. Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exercise…to test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself. I have an idea. I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good, alright?"

She gave me a black cell phone and left. I examined the phone.

 _It's in good condition. If my peers were here, they would mock Miss Toriel for not having the latest smartphone._

I decided that I didn't want to wait for Toriel to come back, and I received a phone call in the next room.

"Hello? This is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you? There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try to solve them yourself. Be good, alright?"

I noticed a second glowing star, and I examined it.

 _(Playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination.)_

I then talked to the nearby Froggit.

"Ribbit, ribbit. Excuse me, human. I have some advice for you about battling monsters. If you ACT a certain way or FIGHT until you almost defeat them…They might not want to battle you anymore. If a monster does not want to fight you, please…Use some MERCY, human. Ribbit."

 _I don't suppose that monsters would be willing to show_ me _mercy, though? That would make this journey_ so _much easier._

"Thanks for the advice," I replied.

In adjacent room, I saw a bowl of candy on a short pillar, and a sign in front of the bowl.

 _(It says 'take one.' Take a piece of candy?)_

I took a piece of candy, along with three more pieces of candy. I got quite a bit of snark from the voice (which I began to refer to as the Narrator):

 _(You took more candy. How disgusting…)_

 _(You take another piece. You feel like the scum of the earth…)_

 _(You took too much too fast. The candy spills onto the floor.)_

 _(Look at what you've done.)_

 _If monsters are going to ATTACK me, then I'll need everything at my disposal to get out of here in one piece. Don't blame me, Narrator. Blame the aggressive monsters._

Moving forward, I spared some Froggits (docile frog monsters) and Whimsuns (small, shy, moth-like monsters), getting some gold for my trouble, and I used the candy pieces to restore my HP.

I proceeded through the Ruins, receiving another phone from Toriel:

"Hello? This is Toriel. For no reason in particular…Which do you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?

"I prefer butterscotch."

"Oh, I see. Thank you very much!"

Toriel hung up.

 _Considering how she acts like a mother hen, I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted to bake half-a-dozen pastries for me. Speaking of which, I could use a snack._

The monster candy pieces had the ability to restore 10 HP, so I decided to save those and have some granola bars. I noticed that the granola bars were even more bland than usual, mostly because the candy pieces seemed to dissolve instantly, like pure sugar.

"Hello? This is Toriel. You do not dislike cinnamon, do you? I know what your preference is, but…Would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?"

"No, I'm not picky."

"Right, right, I understand."

"Thank you for being patient, by the way."

 _Any baked treat is good in my book. My mom hasn't baked anything in years, and my 14_ _th_ _birthday cake was store-bought._

After solving more puzzles and encountering a Moldsmal (a jelly-like monster that didn't even want to fight), I had to convince a talking rock to sit on a switch (believe me, it makes just as much sense in context).

I came across a yellow star next to some cheese on a wooden table.

 _(Knowing the mouse might one day leave its hole and get the cheese…It fills you with determination.)_

The cheese was old, and it was stuck to the table.

I encountered a ghost lying on the floor in the next room.

"zzzzzzzzzz… (are they gone yet) …zzzzzzzzzzzz"

 _(This ghost keeps saying 'z' out loud repeatedly, pretending to sleep.)_

When I tried to move the ghost with force, it resulted in another fight.

 _(Here comes Napstablook.)_

 _(Check:_ _This monster doesn't seem to have a sense of humor...)_

"…oh, I'm REAL funny."

After dodging some tear-shaped bullets, I encouraged Napstablook to cheer up.

The ghost showed then used their tears to create a hat.

"That's cool, Napstablook."

"…I usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody around...but today I met somebody nice...oh, I'm rambling again. I'll get out of your way."

Napstablook vanished into thin air.

 _They sort of remind me of David, before we became friends after the Snowstorm Incident of 2108. That reminds me, I don't make it back, he's probably going to call dibs on that birdhouse we made…_

Moving on, I passed a stand for a "Spider Bake Sale." I left 7 gold, and a spider handed me a donut. I decided to keep the donut in my backpack for the moment.

I found a toy knife and a faded ribbon, raising my ATK from 0 to 3, and my DEF from 0 to 5, respectively. I also encountered three more Froggits, one of whom mentioned how yellow names appear when a monster can be spared. The Froggit cryptically mentioned that sparing might be necessary even without the appearance of yellow names.

 _If that ever happens, then I'm going to be very annoyed with the monster population. Seriously, who came up with all of these stupid rules in first place?_

I thanked the Froggit and left. I also received yet another call from Toriel.

"Hello? I just realized that is has been a while since I have cleaned up. I was not expecting to have company so soon. There are probably a lot of things lying about here and there. You can pick them up, but do not carry more than you need. Someday you might see something you really like. You will want to leave room in your pockets for that."

 _Survival Tip # 1: Don't overload your bag. Tip # 2: Use a bigger bag. Tip # 3: Get someone else to carry your bag._

 _Looks like wilderness camp wasn't a total waste after all._

Speaking of which, I had room for eight items in my backpack, and four slots were occupied by my stick, two pieces of candy, and the spider donut. After encountering a Migosp (a cricket-like monster) and a Vegetoid (a carrot-like monster), I saw a large tree in a clearing, and I heard Toriel's voice.

"Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would."

She then noticed me standing a few yards away.

"How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt? There, there, I will heal you. I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to surprise you like this. Err…Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one!"

Toriel walked inside a small, purple house. I examined the yellow star outside.

 _(Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the Ruins gives you determination.)_

I walked inside, where Toriel was waiting.

"Do you smell that? Surprise! It is a butterscotch cinnamon pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here. So, I will hold off on snail pie for tonight. Here, I have another surprise for you.

 _Okay, something's up. Toriel expects me to live here, yet she didn't even ask if I had a home to go back to…_

Toriel walked down the right hallway, and I decided to explore the house and think about what to say to her. I found a history book on Toriel's bookshelf:

 _(Trapped behind the barrier and fearful of further human attacks, we retreated. Far, far into the earth we walked, until we reached the cavern's end. This was our new home, which we named...Home. As great as our king is, he is pretty lousy at names.)_

 _So, there was some sort of war, and the monsters were driven into Mount Ebott? How did the war start? And what's this barrier about? This reminds me of something I once read at the town library…_

After looking at the book and a large pie on the kitchen counter, I walked over to Toriel.

"This is it. A room of your own. I hope you like it!"

She gently rubbed my hair…

"Is something burning? Um, make yourself at home!"

Toriel quickly went to the kitchen.

 _That settles it. Toriel wants me to live with her, and I'm going to have to break her heart before I can leave. This is going to suck._

I went into my "room," examining a dusty photo frame, and a box of kids' shoes.

 _Children's shoes, but no children. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this…_

I yawned, noting that I spent most of the afternoon walking through the Ruins. I decided to use the bed that Toriel had provided for me. As I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts drifted towards home.

 _Mom's probably panicking right now… I wish I could see her soon, but I need to get out of here, first… To do that, I'll have to break Miss Toriel's heart, but I don't see any other way out of this mess...I just hope she understands my decision…_

With this last thought, I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, I noticed a piece of butterscotch-cinnamon pie on a plate on the ground. I put the slice of pie in a zip-lock bag and stored it in my backpack.

Out in the hallway, I examined a large mirror. Brown hair, brown eyes, and the striped blue-and-purple shirt that I got for Christmas.

 _(It's you!)_

 _Thanks, Captain Obvious._

Passing a boarded-up room, I saw that Toriel was sitting in a soft next the fireplace, wearing reading glasses and holding a book in her lap.

"Up already, I see? Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise to you, but I have always wanted to be a teacher…actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising. STILL, I am glad to have you living here. Oh, did you want something? What is it?"

I took a deep breath, and began.

"Miss Toriel, when can I go home?"

Toriel suddenly looked up in shock. She desperately tried to change the subject.

"What? This…this IS your home now. Um…would you like to hear about this book I am reading? It is called "72 Uses for Snails." How about it?"

I sighed, and continued.

"Miss Toriel, how can I exit the Ruins?"

Her expression hardened.

"…I have to do something. Stay here."

Toriel put the book down, and briskly walked to a basement stairway.

Nervously, I followed her downstairs, where she was waiting.

"You wish to know how to return "home," do you not? Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground. I am going to _destroy_ it. No one will _ever_ be able to leave again. Now be a good child and _go upstairs_."

Toriel walked forward, and I followed.

 _I'm not your child, though, not really…_

Toriel frowned, deep in thought.

"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They _die_. You naïve child…If you leave the Ruins, they…Asgore…will _kill_ you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? Go to your room."

Toriel walked forward again.

 _I can't stay in the Underground forever. I need to leave._

With a face of stone, Toriel continued her lecture.

"Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning."

Toriel marched to the end of the hall.

 _I have a family to go back to!_

I followed her one more time. At the end of the hall, Toriel stood in front of a purple door.

"You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself…prove to me you are _strong_ enough to survive."

 _Is this really necessary…?_

Once again, my SOUL was tugged out of my chest.

 _(Toriel blocks the way!)_

 _(Check: ATK 80, DEF 80. Knows what's best for you.)_

 _Does she though? Does she truly believe that?_

Toriel launched several fireballs at me, and I yelped as I was burned by a few, taking damage in the process.

I tried using ACT-Talk:

 _(You couldn't think of any conversation topics.)_

 _Maybe you can't think of anything, but I CAN!_

 _Also, I should remember to thank that Froggit someday._

As Toriel continued to use fire attacks, I switched to using MERCY:

"I'm sorry, Miss Toriel, but I need to leave."

"My mom's probably worried sick at this point."

"Her name is Sarah Caraway, and she's the best mom in the world."

"Not because she's perfect, but because she works harder than all the other adults I know."

"She doesn't have a degree, so she takes odd jobs around town."

"What are you doing?"

"We moved to Ebott Town a few years ago to save money."

"Attack or run away!"

"She works herself to exhaustion so I can go to school."

"What are you proving this way?"

"That's why I take my classes seriously. I want to make her proud."

"Fight me or leave!"

"If I never make it back home, I'm worried about what she'll do."

"Stop it."

"She might die of a broken heart."

"Stop looking at me that way."

"My aunt does her best to help, but my mom still struggles with everyday life."

"Not to mention how my aunt would feel…"

"My aunt is a very strict woman."

"I know you want to go home, but…"

"She's always busy at the police station."

"But please… Go upstairs now."

"I have friends at school, and they'll miss me, too."

"I promise I will take good care of you."

"My best friend's name is Button."

"I know we do not have much, but…"

"He believes in science fiction and mythology books."

"We can have a good life here."

"He's weird, but he's also one of the nicest people I know."

"Why are you making this this so difficult?"

"I fell into Mount Ebott because he got himself into trouble."

"Please, go upstairs."

"I was angry at first, but now, I'm just worried. Button is probably getting yelled at by a bunch of people right now."

"He's probably beating himself up out of grief."

"Ha ha…"

"I miss my friends and family."

"Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child."

"All of these people will be crushed if I choose to stay here."

"I'm truly sorry, but I need to go home."

"…No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down there. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations... My loneliness... My fear... For you, my child... I will put them aside."

With her last statement, the fight ended…

I was panting heavily, with my HP at 5 out of 20. I watched the back of Toriel's head warily, waiting for her next move.

"If you truly wish to leave the Ruins… I will not stop you. However, when you leave… Please do not come back. I hope you understand."

 _I suppose that's fair enough. My presence here has probably brought back several unpleasant memories for a grieving parent…She offered me her heart and home, and I just stomped on it._

She turned around, kneeled down, and hugged me closely. A few seconds later, she stood up.

"Goodbye, my child."

She walked back to her house, briefly pausing to look back at me. She was smiling sadly, with barely-repressed tears in her eyes…

After taking a moment to recuperate, I walked through the next archway. After walking through a long hallway, I encountered Flowey again. He was leering at me.

"Clever. Verrrryyy clever. You think you're really smart, don't you? In this world it's _kill or be killed_. So, you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person. Hee hee hee… I bet you feel really great. You didn't kill anybody this time, but what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? You'll _die_ and you'll _die_ and you'll _die_. Until you tire of trying. What will you do then? Will you _kill_ out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world… and let ME inherit the power to control it? I am the _prince_ of this world's future. Don't worry, my little monarch, my plan isn't _regicide_. This is SO much more interesting."

Flowey inflated his face, cackling deviously before burrowing into the ground.

 _That was weird. Why did he say that I would die_ several _times? Last I checked, people don't come back from dying. If it were possible, then my mom would be a little happier than she is now…_

I walked through the final archway, thinking about Flowey's weird words…


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

 **Chapter 2: "Trudging Through the Snow"**

When I exited the Ruins, I was immediately buffeted by a gust of cold air. I started shivering, and my teeth started to chatter.

 _Toriel didn't mention that it would be COLD out here. I really could use a sweater right now._

I checked a nearby bush out of curiosity.

 _(…!? There's a camera hidden in the bushes.)_

 _That's ominous…_

I walked down a narrow path created by a thicket of trees. I passed by a thick branch lying across the road… and the branch suddenly snapped when I went forward.

Bewildered, I decided to keep my guard up. After what happened with Toriel, I didn't want to take _any_ chances. Further down the path, I could hear footsteps following me. I finally came to a set of vertical bars over a narrow bridge. Behind me, the footsteps drew closer. I immediately considered all of the horrible ways this could end badly.

"Human," a deep voice began.

"Don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."

I slowly turned around. The hooded monster held his hand out. Not wanting to lose a limb, I shook my head, and I suddenly heard the sound of flatulence.

"heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny."

The monster pulled his hood back, revealing a short skeleton with pinprick eyes, a wide grin, a blue jacket, and a pair of fuzzy slippers.

"anyways, you're a human, right? that's hilarious. I'm sans. sans the skeleton. im actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but… y'know… I don't really care about capturing anybody. now my brother, papyrus… he's a human-hunting FANATIC. hey, actually, I think that's him over there. i have an idea. go through this gate thingy. Yeah, go right through. my bro made the bar too wide to stop anyone."

 _So, you stalked me, just so you could prank me with a whoopee cushion? You're not just a wierdo, you're a CREEPY wierdo._

Silently screaming, I did what Sans asked me to do.

"quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp."

Ignoring the fact that the lamp was deliberately lopsided, I hid myself.

 _I'm just glad that he didn't attack me on sight…_

Suddenly, a taller skeleton with red gloves, red boots and a red cape marched into view.

"sup, bro?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT "SUP," BROTHER! IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T…RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

"staring at this lamp. It's really cool. Do you wanna look?"

 _Is he TRYING to give me away!?_

Papyrus started to stomp his left boot.

"NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!? I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!"

Papyrus posed for his brother, with his cape dramatically flowing with the wind.

"THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS…WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT… RECONGITION… I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO, BE, MY, "FRIEND?" I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING."

 _If there's a Royal Guard, then there must be a royal family as well…_

"hmm… maybe this lamp will help you."

 _Sans, PLEASE STOP TALKING._

"SANS! YOU ARE NOT HELPING! YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!

"hey, take it easy. I've gotten a _ton_ of work done today. a skele- _ton_."

 _I'll pretend I didn't hear that_.

"SANS!"

"come on. you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT. SIGH… WHY DOE SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME, HE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECONGITION…"

"wow, sounds like you're really working yourself…down to the _bone_."

"UGH! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES…AS FOR YOUR WORK, PUT A LITTLE MORE… " _BACKBONE_ " INTO IT! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!"

Papyrus marched away.

 _I though Papyrus hated puns…Oh well, at least he's less creepy than Sans…_

"HEH!"

"ok, you can come out now."

I walked up to Sans.

"you oughta get going. he might come back, and if he does…you'll have to sit more of my hilarious jokes."

After some contemplation, I spoke up, shivering from the cold.

"I don't suppose you have a spare coat lying around, do you? I didn't realize that it would be this cold outside the Ruins…"

 _You had a conveniently-shaped lamp on standby, didn't you?_

Sans contemplated my words for a moment, and grinned.

"sounds like you've got the _cold shoulder_ , huh?"

 _Ugh…_

Sans noticed the dour look on my face, so he continued.

"actually, hey…hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor? I was thinking… my brother's been kind of down lately. he's never seen a human before, and seeing you might just make his day. don't worry, he's not dangerous, even if he tries to be. thanks a million. i'll be up ahead, and maybe you won't feel so _chili_."

Sans walked back the way I came, leaving me to groan from all the puns.

 _For the sake of what little sanity I have left, I'm going to have to ignore about fifty percent of everything he says…_

Shaking my head, I proceeded forward, and I found another yellow star.

 _(The convenience of that lamp still fills you with determination.)_

 _Monsters are weird. Well, at least I still have you, mysterious narrator voice._

Up head, I saw a fork in the road, along with a sign next to a small box.

 _(This is a box. You can put an item inside or take an item out. The same box will appear later, so don't worry about coming back. Sincerely, a box lover.)_

 _Hmm…this could be a hoax…well, I could always put something cheap in here and see if the box lover was telling the truth…_

After some thinking, I examined the box. There was an old glove inside. I decided to equip the glove (5 ATK), and I left the toy knife inside the box.

"Better not snow "flake" out!"

I encountered a monster named Snowdrake (a bird monster who liked ice puns), and to the north, I found a fishing rod with a shady note attached to it.

 _(Call Me! He's my number!)_

 _(You decide not to call.)_

Speaking of which… I tried calling Toriel… but no one picked up.

 _Despite what happened, I hope she's doing all right._

Next up, I spared an Ice Cap (an ice monster with a pointed nose and a pointed hat) by ignoring it, and I saw Sans and Papyrus up ahead.

"SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE-"

Papyrus look in my direction, and his eye sockets widened. The skeleton brothers spent a few seconds glancing at myself and each other repeatedly, and then they turned away from me.

"SANS! OH MY GOD! IS THAT… A HUMAN!?"

They glanced at small rock I had passed.

 _He's not the brightest tool in the shed, is he… How did he expect to capture a human without knowing what we look like? Besides, Sans knew that I was a human almost instantly…_

"uhhhh… actually, i think that's a rock."

"OH."

"hey, what's that in front of the rock?"

This time, Papyrus looked directly at me.

"OH MY GOD! (IS… IS THAT A HUMAN?)"

"(yes.)"

"OH MY GOD! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL… I'M GONNA… I'LL BE SO… POPULAR! POPULAR! POPULAR!... 'AHEM'… HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN… THEN! I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT. IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!

The tall skeleton rushed off in a hurry.

 _In a way, he reminds me of Button. After all, I took pity on him when he came to my front porch with cheesy ice breakers from a joke book. Good times…_

"well, that went well. don't sweat it, kiddo. i'll keep an eyesocket out for ya." The short skeleton departed as well.

 _On the bright side, all this dodging is helping me to warm up a little._

Up ahead, I came across a crude station.

 _(There's some narration on this cardboard box.)_

 _(YOU OBSERVE THE WELL-CRAFTED SENTRY STATION. WHO COULD HAVE BUILT THIS, YOU PONDER…? I BET IT WAS THAT VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN! (NOTE: NOT YET A VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN.)_

 _He must be really lonely if he feels the need to try_ this _hard…_

I came across another sign.

 _(Absolutely NO MOVING!)_

As I passed the nearby station, I had a brief encounter with Doggo (a dog monster with knives who could only see moving objects). He used blue magic attacks that passed through me harmlessly when I stood motionless, and I quickly got him to stop fighting by playing fetch with my lucky stick. Sans was waiting for me up ahead.

"hey, here's something important to remember. my brother has a very **special attack**. if you see a _blue attack_ , don't move, and it won't hurt you. here's an easy way to keep it in mind. imagine a stop sign. when you see a stop sign, you _stop_ , right? stop signs are _red_ , so imagine a _blue_ stop sign instead. simple, right?" when fighting, think about _blue stop signs_."

 _Thanks, but no thanks. I'll just memorize it as I go._

After experiencing the slipperiness of an ice patch, I found a talking snowman to the north.

"Hello. I am a snowman. I want to see the world… but I cannot move. If you would be so kind, traveler, please… take a piece of me and bring it very far away."

"Sure, no problem."

"Thank you… good luck!"

 _I don't need luck. I make my own luck._

 _(You got the Snowman Piece.)_

Backtracking, I found a sign telling me to head east to reach a place called "Snowdin Town."

 _The monsters have odd tastes in names, but I don't have much room to complain. Seriously, the founders of Ebott Town were really unimaginative._

Next up, Papyrus and Sans were standing on the other side of a clearing.

"YOUR'RE SO LAZY! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!"

"i think that's called… sleeping."

"EXCUSES, EXCUSES!"

The skeletons turned around.

"OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU… MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING! FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE… ELECTRICITY MAZE!"

Papyrus held out a blue orb in his right glove.

WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP! SOUND LIKE FUN? BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABABLY HAVE IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL, I THINK. OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW."

 _I've already identified the flaw in this puzzle. Let's see how long it takes for Papyrus to notice._

I stepped forward, and the naïve skeleton was electrocuted by his own orb.

"SANS! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"i think the human has to hold the orb. "

"OH, OKAY."

Papyrus walked through the maze, leaving a trail of footprints.

 _This is like Toriel's handholding all over again…_

"HOLD THIS PLEASE!"

The skeleton dropped the orb on my head, leaving a tiny bruise. I picked up the orb, and Papyrus walked back to where he was standing.

"OKAY, TRY NOW!"

After I "solved" the puzzle, the Great Papyrus complemented me.

"INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY… TOO EASILY! HOWEVER! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

 _That's because you're you, Papyrus. Sigh… maybe I should cut him some slack. After all, he's passionate, and that's a very rare quality these days. Where I come from, passionate people are usually told to "grow up."_

Papyrus moonwalked away.

"hey, thanks… my brother seems like he's having fun. by the way, did you see that weird outfit he's wearing? we made that a few weeks ago for a costume party. he hasn't worn anything else since… keeps calling it his "battle body." man, isn't my brother cool?"

 _Meh… being cool is overrated. Trust me, I speak from experience._

Further down the road, I met a blue, bunny-like monster with cart.

"I don't understand why these aren't selling…It's the perfect weather for something cold…"

 _He's completely serious, isn't he. Then again, I know some girls at school who only go to Dairy Queen when it's below freezing…_

The monster then noticed me, and his face lit up.

"OH! A CUSTOMER! Hello! Would you like some Nice Cream? It's the frozen treat that warms your heart! Now just 15G!"

"No thanks, I'm good."

Further down the road, I nudged a snowball into a hole, and a red flag popped up.

 _(Patience. Bravery. Integrity. Perseverance. Kindness. Justice. Using these, you were able to win at "Ball Game." You are awarded 50G.)_

I also met Sans again.

"i've been thinking about selling treats too. want some fried snow? it's just 5G."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

 _If I want fried snow, I'll just look for a water dispenser in a volcano._

At the next puzzle, Papyrus and Sans were waiting excitedly (Papyrus was excited, and Sans was just waiting). There was a sheet of paper on the ground.

"HUMAN! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR… SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE!

"it's right there. on the ground. trust me. there's no way they can get past this one."

I examined the sheet of paper, which was a "Monster Kidz Word Search."

 _The longest word has no solution…Sans is just being a smartass._

I put the "word search" down.

"SANS! THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

"whoops. knew i should have used today's crossword instead."

"WHAT!? CROSSWORD!? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! IN MY OPINION… JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST."

"what? really, dude? that easy-peasy word scramble? that's for baby bones."

"UN. BELIEVABLE. HUMAN! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!"

 _It's probably in my best interests to keep Sans happy by agreeing with Papyrus._

"Junior Jumble."

"HA! HA! YES! HUMANS MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT! IF THEY ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE SO DFFICULT! NYEH! HEH! HEH! HEH!

Papyrus left, jumping for joy.

"thanks for saying "junior jumble" just to appease my brother. yesterday he got stumped trying to "solve" the horoscope."

 _I know how you feel. One time, some customers demanded refunds at the dollar store because they thought that horoscopes included lottery numbers._

Further on, I came across a wooden table with a microwave, a plate of spaghetti, a fork, and a note.

 _(It's a note from Papyrus… HUMAN! PLEASE ENJOY THIS SPAGETTI. (LITTLE DO YOU KNOW; THIS SPAGHETTI IS A TRAP… DESIGNED TO ENTICE YOU! YOU'LL BE SO BUSY EATING IT… THAT YOU WON'T REALIZE THAT YOU AREN'T PROGRESSING! THROUGHLY JAPED AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS!) NYEH-NEH-HEH, PAPYRUS.)_

 _If you have to explain the joke, then there is no joke… Good effort, though._

I checked the spaghetti.

 _(It's a plate of frozen spaghetti. It's so cold, it's stuck to the table…)_

Also, there was no outlet for the microwave plug.

 _(knowing the mouse might one day find a way to heat up the spaghetti… It fills you with determination.)_

Passing by a sign titled "Dog Marriage," I played fetch with Lesser Dog (A dog monster holding a sword and a shield with the familiar winged emblem), and I pressed a hidden switch to lower a set of spikes. In addition, I had to dodge some giant axes belonging to a pair of dog monsters (named Dogamy and Dogaressa), and I solved a tile puzzle involving pressure plates. Papyrus was there too.

"WHAT!? HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP? AND, MOVE IMPORTANTY… IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME?"

 _Oh, right… he must be talking about that plate of frozen spaghetti._

"I left the spaghetti."

"REALLY!? WOWIE… YOU RESISTED THE FLAVOR OF MY HOMECOOKED PASTA… JUST SO YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH ME? FRET NOT HUMAN! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS… WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT! HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH NYEH!"

 _It was amusing at first, but this is just sad. This isn't even about cooking. Does he even know how microwaves work?_

I followed Papyrus to the next puzzle.

"MY BROTHER STARTED A SOCK COLLECTION RECENTLY. HOW SADDENING… SOMETIMES I WONDER WHAT HE WOULD DO… WITHOUT SUCH A COOL GUY TAKING CARE OF HIM? NYEH HEH HEH!

 _If he's anything like my mom… I dread to think of how he would handle losing his brother. I get the feeling that Sans really cares about you, Papyrus._

I approached the next tile puzzle.

"HUMAN! HMM… HOW DO I SAY THIS… YOU WERE TAKING A LONG TIME TO ARRIVE, SO… I DECIDED TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE... BY ARANGING THE SNOW TO LOOK MORE LIKE MY FACE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND. NOW THE SOLTIOON IS DIFFERENT. AND, AS USUAL, MY LAZY BROTHER IS NOWHERE AROUND. I SUPPOSE WHAT I AM SAYING IS… WORRY NOT, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL SOULVE THIS CONUNDRUM! THEN WE CAN BOTH PROCEED! MEANWHLE FEEL FREE TO TRY THE PUZZLE YOURSELF! I'LL TRY NOT TO GIVE AWAY THE ANSWER!

After I solved the newest puzzle, Papyrus had nothing but praise for me.

"WOW! YOU SOLVED IT! AND YOU DID IT ALL WITHOUT MY HELP… INCREDIBLE! I'M IMPRESSED! INCREDIBLE! I'M IMPRESSED! YOU MUST CARE ABOUT PUZZLES LIKE I DO! WELL, I'M SURE YOU'LL LOVE THE NEXT PUZZLE THEN! IT MIGHT EVEN BE TOO EASY FOR YOU! NYEH! HEH HEH! HEHEHEH!

Sans was there too.

"good job on solving it so quickly. you didn't even need my help. which is great, 'cause i love doing absolutely nothing.

 _I bet you do._

Further on, Papyrus and Sans were waiting in front of a set of gray tiles.

"HEY! IT'S THE HUMAN! YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS PUZZLE! IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS! YOU SEE THESE TILES!? ONE I THROW THIS SWITCH… THEY WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR. EACH COLOR HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION. RED TILES ARE IMPASSABLE! YOU CANNOT WALK ON THEM! YELLOW TILES ARE ELECTRIC! THEY WILL ELECTROCUTE YOU! GREEN TILES ARE ALARM TILES! IF YOU SET ON THEM… YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER! ORANGE TILES ARE ORANGE SCENTED. THEY WILL MAKE YOU SMELL DELICIOUS! BLUE TILES ARE WATER TILES. SWIM THROUGH IF YOU LIKE, BUT… IF YOU SMELL LIKE ORANGES! THE PIRAHNAS WILL BITE YOU. ALSO, IF A BLUE TILE IS NEXT TO A, YELLOW TILE, THE WATER WILL ALSO ZAP YOU! PURPLE TILES ARE SLIPPERY! YOU WILL SLIDE TO THE NEXT TILE! HOWEVER, THE SLIPPERY SOAP… SMELLS LIKE LEMONS! WHILE PIRAHNAS DO NOT LIKE! PURPLE AND BLUE ARE OK! FINALLY, PINK TILES. THEY DON'T DO ANYTHING. STEP ON THEM ALL YOU LIKE. HOW WAS THAT!? UNDERSTAND?

 _Dude, I'm not going to make you say that again…_

"Of course."

 _My instincts are telling me that all of the tiles are just going to switch to one color… Papyrus is really unlucky…_

"GREAT! THEN THERE'S ONE LAST THING… THIS PUZZLE… IS ENTIRELY RANDOM! WHEN I PULL THIS SWITCH, IT WILL MAKE A PUZZLE… THA HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! NOT EVEN I WILL KNOW THE SOLUTION! NYEH HEH HEH! GET READY…!

Papyrus flipped the switch. After a bit of flashing, the tiles became red and pink, leaving a narrow path for me.

 _Two colors… that was better than I expected._

Papyrus then twirled away, and I walked forward.

"actually, that spaghetti from earlier… it wasn't too bad for my brother. since he started cooking lessons, he's been improving a lot. i bet if he keeps it up, next year he'll even make something edible."

 _Cooking lessons? Who's teaching him?_

Walking along, I saw Lesser Dog building a snow sculpture, along with another yellow star.

 _(Knowing that dog will never give up trying to make the perfect snowdog… It fills you with determination.)_

After playing fetch with Greater Dog (a small dog monster in a suit of armor) and undecorating Gyftrot (a reindeer-like monster burdened with several Christmas ornaments), I came to a long, narrow wooden bridge, where Papyrus and Sans were waiting for me to arrive.

"HUMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GUANTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!"

I noted the appearance of a spiked ball, a flamethrower, two spears, a cannon, and a small white dog, hanging from a rope.

 _This is getting ridiculous…_

"WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN! ARE YOU READY!? BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!"

Nothing happened.

"well? what's the holdup?"

"HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!?" I'M… I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!"

Still, nothing happened.

"that, uh, doesn't look very activated."

"WELL! THIS CHALLENGE! IT SEEMS… MAYBE… TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH. YEAH! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR! AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERLY COOKED! BETH THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!"

The objects floated out of view.

 _Do you really think you can afford to go easy on me? Oh, never mind. I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth._

"PHEW!"

Papyrus suddenly narrowed his eyes at me.

"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS! NYEH! HEH!... HEH?

Papyrus ran off towards a cluster of buildings in the distance.

 _I thought you were the "Great Papyrus."_

After I crossed the bridge, Sans stopped me for a moment.

'i don't know what my brother's going to do now. if i were you, i would make sure i understand **blue attacks**."

 _Right… you and your blue stop signs… Regardless, I need to be careful. I know how Papyrus acts, but I haven't seen what magic he can use._

Mulling over Papyrus's fighting prowess, I entered Snowdin Town. The first few things I noticed were a shop, and the "dimensional" box from before.

 _(The sight of such a friendly town fills you with determination.)_

To my pleasant surprise, the toy knife was still there.

 _So, the box wasn't a hoax, after all. Good to know._

Entering the shop, I met a bunny-like monster lady.

"Hello, traveler. How can I help you?"

I decided to buy a "Manly Bandanna" (7 DEF), and some cinnamon buns for healing.

I said hello, and the lady had several things to say.

"Hiya! Welcome to Snowdin! I can't remember the last time I saw a fresh face around here. Where did you come from? The capital? You don't look like a tourist. Are you here by yourself?"

 _I've noticed how many monsters don't seem to recognize that I'm a human, but a few do… Why is there such an inconsistency?_

I asked about Snowdin Town.

"You want to know what to do here in Snowdin? Grillby's has food, and the library has information… If you're tired, you can take a nap at the inn. It's right next door – my sister runs it. And if you're bored, you can sit outside and watch those wacky skeletons do their thing. There's two of 'em… Brothers, I think. They just showed up one day and… _asserted themselves_. The town has gotten a lot more interesting since then."

 _I'm pretty sure there's more to the story about humans and monsters than the book on Toriel's shelf… I should stop by the library._

I asked about Snowdin's history.

"Think back to your history class… A long time ago, monsters lived in the Ruins back there in the forest. Long story short, we all decided to leave the ruins and head for the end of the caverns. Along the way, some fuzzy folk decided they liked the cold and set up camp in Snowdin. Oh, and don't think about trying to explore the Ruins… The door's been locked for ages. So, unless you're a ghost or can burrow under the door, forget about it.

 _Napstablook is a ghost, and I saw Flowey burrow into the ground. More importantly, was there a reason why Toriel was hiding away? I have the feeling that the folks here in Snowdin don't know about her…_

Finally, I asked the shopkeeper about her life.

"Life is the same as usual. A little claustrophobic… But… we all know deep down that freedom is coming, don't we? As long as we got that hope, we can grit our teeth and face the same struggles, day after day… That's life, ain't it?"

 _Is that why monsters keep attacking me? Do they need my SOUL to get rid of the barrier or something? I need more information on this…_

I thanked the shopkeeper and left.

I passed some bunny monsters, some bear monsters, a Christmas tree (which was part of a monster gift-giving tradition called Giftmas), a young lizard monster with a yellow striped shirt…

"Yo! You're a kid, too, right? I can tell 'cause you're wearing a striped shirt."

 _That logic isn't perfect… I know some weird adults back home who wear striped shirts while they watch rugby._

One of the monsters mentioned that there was no mayor in Snowdin, but that there was a skeleton would talk to a "fish lady" about problems.

 _The skeleton is probably Papyrus, but who's the fish lady? I haven't met any monsters that resemble a fish lady…_

I entered a building called Grillby's, where I saw the dog sentries that I played fetch with. One of the locals mentioned that the dog monsters were part of the Royal Guard, led by Undyne (who was apparently rude, loud, and aggressive).

 _I heard Papyrus mention someone named Undyne… If Papyrus is trying to get into the Royal Guard, it makes sense that he knows the Captain… does that mean that Undyne is a fish monster?_

I also learned that monster food doesn't spoil, unlike human food.

Further through the town, some of the monsters mentioned the importance of staying positive in difficult times.

 _The people here have rough lives, but life on the surface isn't a cakewalk, either. I hear adults complain about jobs, insurance, and the economy all the time…_

At the Snowdin Library (with a miss-spelled sign titled "Librarby"), I looked at five different books:

"Monster funerals, technically speaking, are cool as heck. When monsters get old and kick the bucket, they turn into dust. At funerals, we take that dust and spread it on that person's favorite thing. Then their essence will live on in that thing... Uhhh, am I at the page minimum yet? I'm kinda sick of writing this."

"While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water. Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us. But they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic. They'll never get a bullet-pattern birthday card..."

"Because they are made of magic, monsters' bodies are attuned to their SOUL. If a monster doesn't want to fight, its defenses will weaken. And the crueler the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us. Therefore, if a being with a powerful SOUL struck with the desire to kill... Um, let's end the chapter here..."

"MONSTER HISTORY PART 4: Fearing the humans no longer, we moved out of our old city, Home. We braved harsh cold, damp swampland, and searing heat... Until we reached what we now call our capital. "New Home." Again, our King is really bad at names...?"

"Love, hope, compassion... This is what people say monster SOULs are made of. But the absolute nature of "SOUL" is unknown. After all, humans have proven their SOULs don't need these things to exist."

 _History was written by the survivors of the war… and now the monsters want freedom._

I finally realized why Toriel's book felt so familiar. Back home, Button once showed me a mythology book about a war between humans and monsters… I never considered that the legend could be true…

Passing by a large house with two mailboxes, I left Snowdin Town with a heavy heart, and pressed onward.

The air started to fog up, and I saw Papyrus in the distance.

"HUMAN. ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. FEELINGS LIKE… THE JOY OF FINDING ANOHTER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS… THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW! I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE. I PITY YOU… LONELY HUMAN… WORRY NOT! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR… NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND! YOU ARE A HUMAN! I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS! THAT'S PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER… OF THE ROYAL GUARD!

 _I can't let Papyrus capture me, so I need to outlast him like I did with Toriel._

Once more, my red SOUL floated out my chest.

 _(Papyrus blocks the way!)_

 _(Check-Papyrus: 20 ATK 20 DEF. He likes to say: "Nyeh heh heh!")_

"NYEH HEH HEH!"

Some bone attacks floated below my SOUL, and I spared him.

"SO, YOU WON'T FIGHT… THEN, LET'S SEE YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABELED BLUE ATTACK!"

The skeleton launched several magic blue bones, and suddenly, my SOUL turned _blue_ , forcing it and me to the ground. I was slightly injured by a small bone attack.

"YOU'RE BLUE NOW. THAT'S MY ATTACK! HYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!

 _(You're blue now.)_

 _This must be what Sans was warning me about… why didn't he just say that Papyrus could CONTROL GRAVITY!?_

"HOW HIGH CAN YOU JUMP?"

From that point forward, I had to jump over all his attacks. Papyrus continued to monologue about his impending promotion.

"YEAH! DON'T MAKE ME USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

"I CAN ALMOST TASTE MY FUTURE POPULARITY!"

"PAPYRUS: HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

"PAPYRUS: UNPARALLELED SPAGETTORE!"

"UNDYNE WILL BE REALLY PROUD OF ME!"

THE KING WILL TRIM A HEDGE IN THE SHAPE OF MY SMILE!"

"MY BROTHER WILL... WELL, HE WON'T CHANGE VERY MUCH."

 _That's an understatement…_

"I'LL HAVE LOTS OF ADMIRERS! BUT... HOW WILL I KNOW IF PEOPLE SINCERELY LIKE ME?"

 _That's the million-dollar question, Papyrus. I'd say it comes from experience, but you're a special case…_

"SOMEONE LIKE YOU IS REALLY RARE... I DON'T THINK THEY'LL LET YOU GO..."

 _I'll be absolutely screwed if that happens._

"AFTER YOU'RE CAPTURED AND SENT AWAY."

 _I'll probably be dead, too…_

"URGH... WHO CARES! GIVE UP!"

"GIVE UP OR FACE MY... SPECIAL ATTACK!"

"YEAH! VERY SOON I WILL USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

"NOT TOO LONG AND I WILL USE THAT SPECIAL ATTACK!"

"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE... BEFORE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

"BEHOLD...! MY SPECIAL ATTACK!"

Papyrus attempted to use his "Special Attack," but it was in the jaws of the dog from the bridge.

"WHAT THE HECK! THAT'S MY SPECIAL ATTACK! HEY! YOU STUPID DOG! DO YOU HEAR ME!? STOP MUNCHING ON THAT BONE!"

The dog started to drag the bone away…

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! COME BACK HERE WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK! ... OH WELL. I'LL JUST USE A REALLY COOL REGULAR ATTACK."

"SIGH… HERE'S AN ABSOLUTELY NORMAL ATTACK."

Said "normal attack" involved a set of bones spelling the words "COOL DUDE," a bone with sunglasses on a skateboard, a large set of medium-sized bones, a GIGANTIC bone, and one tiny bone at the end.

"WELL...! 'HUFF' IT'S CLEAR... YOU CAN'T! 'HUFF' DEFEAT ME! YEAH! I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS! THEREFORE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY! I WILL SPARE YOU, HUMAN! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY."

 _Actually… I was the one trying to spare you… Oh, never mind._

After the fight, the cheerful skeleton had a moment of despair.

"NYOO HOO HOO... I CAN'T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU... UNDYNE'S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME. I'LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD... AND... MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!"

 _Should I… Well, he could probably use the confidence boost…_

Taking pity on the poor guy, I decided to speak up.

"I'll be your friend."

Papyrus looked up in shock.

"REALLY!? YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS, WITH ME? WELL THEN... I GUESS... I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR YOU! WOW! I HAVE FRIENDS! AND WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE THEM... WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM?"

 _I thought you LIKED puzzles! Sigh… If he ever gets to the Surface, he's going to give a_ weird _first impression to humanity…_

"YOU TAUGHT ME A LOT, HUMAN. I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH! AND I'LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE. CONTINUE FORWARD UNTIL YOU REACH THE END OF THE CAVERN. THEN... WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITAL, CROSS THE BARRIER. THAT'S THE MAGICAL SEAL TRAPPING US ALL UNDERGROUND. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT... EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL... LIKE YOU! THAT'S WHY THE KING WANT TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN. HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER. THEN US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE! OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU... TO REACH THE EXIT, YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS... THROUGH THE KING'S CASTLE. THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS... HE IS... WELL... HE'S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER! EVERYBODY LOVES THAT GUY. I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY... "EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR... CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?" HE'LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF! ANYWAY! THAT'S ENOUGH TALKING! I'LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND! FEEL FREE TO COME BY AND HANG OUT! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

 _If he wants to use my SOUL to break the Barrier, then why would the king show me the way out?_

Papyrus jogged through the air, defying gravity. Ignoring this breach in the laws of physics, I contemplated what to do next.

 _I can't stay for too long, but I could use a short break. That fight was a bit more exhausting that I anticipated… still better than fire, though…_

I walked back to Papyrus, who was standing in front of the house I passed by earlier. Papyrus was ecstatic to see me again. After dragging me to the other end of Snowdin Town and back, he invited me into his house.

 _Nope… I have no words…_

Inside the house, I noticed a rock on a table, a TV, a green sofa, a set of sticky notes above a sock on the floor, and a book. I learned that the rock was Sans's pet rock (it was covered in sprinkles); the only entertainer in the Underground was someone named Mettaton; and that Sans owned a quantum physics book containing more books, like a nesting doll. At that point, Papyrus invited me to his room. After looking at a racecar bed, a bookshelf, and his action figures, Papyrus officially started our "hangout" (his exact words). Papyrus put on his "Cool Dude" outfit (a basketball theme set of clothes, he was happy when I told him it had room for improvement), I got to try Papyrus's spaghetti.

 _(You take a small bite. Your face reflexively scrunches up. The taste is indescribable...)_

 _What are you talking about? It's burnt and dry, but anything above "horrible" pasta is still edible. This is_ way _better than the slop they give out at my school cafeteria._

Papyrus suggested befriending his boss, Undyne, and gave me his cell phone number.

 _She probably won't be too friendly if she takes her job seriously… Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained._

After the hangout, I left the town and continued into a dark stretch of swampland…


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: "The Burden of Responsibility"**

Along the path, I saw the young monster from Snowdin…

"Yo! Are you sneaking out to see her, too? Awesome… She's the coolest, right!? I wanna be just like her when I grow up… Hey, don't tell my parents I'm here. Ha ha."

I met a red aquatic monster who showed me an echo flower (a blue, luminescent flower that could record voices).

 _(The sound of rushing water fills you with determination.)_

I also talked to Sans, who was sitting at a station with fake snow on top.

"what? haven't you seen a guy with two jobs before? fortunately, two jobs mean twice as many legally required breaks. i'm going to grillby's. wanna come?"

"Sure…?"

"well, if you insist… i'll pry myself away from my work…"

Sans left his station.

"over here, i know a shortcut."

I followed him through an archway, and we somehow emerged at Grillby's.

 _Can Sans use magic to teleport? That would explain why he's always waiting for me to arrive…_

"fast shortcut, huh? hey everyone."

Sans exchanged pleasantries with the other patrons before sitting at the bar. I followed, grabbing a whoopie cushion on the seat and putting it on the bar.

"whoops, watch where you sit down. sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats."

 _Nice try, Sans._

"anyway, let's order. whaddya want…?"

"I'll have some fries."

"hey, that sounds pretty good. grillby, we'll have a double order of fries."

Grillby (a fire monster with glasses) left to get our order. Sans started to comb his skull with a blue comb.

"so, what do you think… of my brother?"

"I don't think he's cool…"

Sans looked at me.

"hey, pal. sarcasm isn't funny, okay...?"

I raised my hands in defense.

"I think he's awesome, which is much better than being cool."

Sans sat silently, waiting for me to elaborate.

"I once hung out with the cool kids at my school, and all they did was stand around and talk. Cool people are _boring_ , but awesome people have the courage to go against the grain, like Papyrus."

After a brief pause, Sans continued.

"…my brother's a real star. he's the person who pushed me to get this sentry job. maybe it's a little strange, but sometimes… it's nice to have someone call you out on being lazy. even though nothing could be further from the truth."

 _That's… a really nice thing for you to say about your brother. There's more to you than I realized…_

Grillby came back with two orders of fries.

"here comes the grub. want some ketchup?"

"No thanks, I prefer mustard."

"more for me."

Sans chugged down the entire bottle.

"anyway, cool or not, you have to agree papyrus tries real hard. like how he keeps trying to be a part of the royal guard. one day, he went to the house of the head of the royal guard… and begged her to let him be in it. of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight. but the next day, she woke up and saw him still waiting there. seeing his dedication, she decided to give him warrior training. it's, uh, still a work in progress."

 _Work in progress? He's good with his magic, but he willingly let me go…_

"oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something."

The temperature seemed to drop slightly, as Sans narrowed his eye sockets.

"have you ever heard of a _talking flower_?"

I froze up.

… _He could be talking about the echo flower next to his station, but could he be talking about Flowey? Nah… Sans wouldn't be this cryptic if that weed posed an immediate threat to his loved ones…_

I decided to play it safe.

"Yes."

"so, you know all about them. the _echo flowers_. they're all over the marsh. say something to them, and they'll repeat it over and over… what about it? well, papyrus told me something interesting the other day. sometimes, when no one else is around… a flower appears and whispers things to him. flattery… advice… encouragement… _predictions_. weird, huh? someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. keep an eye out, ok?"

"I'll keep my guard up."

"thanks."

The temperature went back to normal, and Sans got up.

"welp, that was a long break. i can't believe i let ya pull me away from work for that long."

He turned to face me.

"oh, by the way… i'm flat broke. can you foot the bill? it's just 10000G."

"Very funny, Sans."

"just kidding. grillby, put it on my tab."

Sans walked to the exit.

"by the way… i was going to say something, but i forgot."

The chubby skeleton exited the building. I exited as well, replaying the conversation in my head.

 _So… Flowey talks to Papyrus when no one's listening… that's not surprising, considering how earnest that skeleton is… But what can_ I _do about it? Flowey's probably an expert at hiding…_

I walked back to Sans's station.

"let's hang out again sometime."

Moving forward, I came across a pink tutu. Putting it in my backpack, I walked through a patch of reeds, and saw an armored figure on the cliffs above me. I saw Papyrus approach the figure.

"H… HI, UNDYNE! I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT… UHHH… REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARILER…"

Undyne turned to look at Papyrus.

"… HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? Y-YES! OF COURSE, I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY!"

She turned away.

"WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM…? W-W-WELL… NO. I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE. BUT IN THE END… I FAILED."

Undyne turned back to the nervous skeleton.

"…W-WHAT? YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL YOURSELF…"

Undyne looked away again. Hesitantly, Papyrus approached his boss.

"BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON'Y H-HAVE TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE… YOU SEE…"

Undyne looked at Papyrus again. I couldn't see her expression, but it was enough to make Papyrus shrink back.

"…I UNDERTSTAND. I'LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN."

Papyrus hurried away.

 _Honestly… that was a pretty lousy attempt to pacify the Captain of the Royal Guard… and Papyrus was shaking in his boots! Just how_ dangerous _is this lady, anyway…?_

With no other option, I quietly stepped forward.

Undyne heard my footstep, and she turned in my direction. She walked forward, summoning a glowing, blue spear. She glanced over her surroundings, but I stood motionless. Not seeing anything, she dismissed her spear and took a few steps backward, blending in with the darkness…

I exited the reeds, and the monster kid from before exited as well.

"Yo… did you see the way she was staring at you…? That… was AWESOME! I'm SOOOO jealous! What'd you do to get her attention…? Ha ha. C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!"

The kid rushed forward, tripped, fell on his face, picked himself up, and continued to run.

 _Glad to see that_ one _of us is happy today…_

 _(A feeling of dread hangs over you… But you stay determined.)_

After solving some puzzles involving Bridge Seeds (lily seeds that sprouted when they aligned in the water), and sparing Aaron (A seahorse monster that liked to flex his muscles), I got a phone call from Papyrus.

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS! HOW DID I GET THIS NUMBER…? IT WAS EASY! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!

 _Oh, right… I forgot to give him my new phone number, but to be fair, he really should have asked for it during our "hangout."_

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH! SO… WHAT ARE YOU WEARING…? I'M ASKING FOR A FRIEND. SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING A BANDANNA. IS THAT TRUE? ARE YOU WEARING A BANDANNA?

 _Sigh… If Undyne saw me wearing a bandanna, then why did she not attack? Oh well… I should probably tell Papyrus that I'm wearing the bandanna, then put on the tutu to disguise myself. It probably won't help too much, but it's better than doing nothing…_

"Yes."

"SO, YOU ARE WEARING A BANDANNA… GOT IT! WINK WINK! HAVE A NICE DAY!"

 _Oh god… I don't how, but he's going to find_ some _way to screw me over later…_

I equipped the old tutu (+10 DEF), encountered Woshua (a bathtub-like monster obsessed with hygiene), and I found some echo flowers…

"A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, you wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparking stones on the ceiling…"

"Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that."

"C'mon, sis! Make a wish!"

"I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday…"

"Ah, seems my horoscope is the same as last week's."

I came across a telescope pointed at the sparking stones (with a note telling me to check the far wall) and discovered a hidden path.

 _The last telescope I looked through was David's. David, Button and I went stargazing on a summer evening not too long ago… Well, David and I went stargazing, Button caught some fireflies in a jar…_

Walking along a set of wooden planks above water, I examined some tablets mounted on the wall.

 _(Ancient writing covers the walls… you can just make out the words.)_

"The War of Humans and Monsters."

"Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster… just to equal the power of a single human SOUL."

 _The monsters are really trying to guilt trip me, aren't they… I just wish I could hear the ancient humans' side of the story… It takes two sides to fight, after all…_

"But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL… A horrible beast with unfathomable power."

 _(It's an illustration of a strange creature… There's something very unsettling about this drawing.)_

 _How was this picture drawn? If a monster had successfully taken a human SOUL, then the war likely would have turned out very differently… and if this was common knowledge in the past, then what started the war in the first place?_

All I could do was press on, filled with dozens of questions.

Walking along the planks, a spear suddenly landed a few feet in front of me.

Undyne revealed herself and launched a barrage of spears at me. I rushed forward, bobbing and weaving, my heart pounding in my chest. Further on, I hid myself in another wide thicket of reeds. The Captain of the Royal Guard approached, her boots clanking with each step. She attempted to grab me, but she lifted my tag-along follower (the monster kid) instead. Undyne set the kid down, and stomped back, clanking all the way. The kid and I left the reeds.

"Yo… did you see that!? Undyne just… TOUCHED ME! I'm never washing my face ever again…! Man, are you unlucky. If you were standing just a LITTLE bit to the left…! Yo, don't worry! I'm, sure we'll see her again!"

The kid dashed forward, tripping himself again.

 _If this is unlucky, I dread the thought of being lucky…_

Annoyed, I continued on. Passing a block of cheese encased in a crystal and an echo flower, I stopped to catch my breath.

 _(Knowing the mouse might one day extract the cheese from the mystical crystal… It fills you with determination.)_

In addition, I saw Sans standing next to a telescope.

"i'm thinking about getting into the telescope business. it's normally 50000G to use this premium telescope… but… since i know you, you can use it for free. howzabout it?"

I would have used the telescope, but the lens was covered in red ink…

"huh? you aren't satisfied? don't worry. i'll give you a full refund."

 _Is Sans really that jaded? He ruined a perfectly good telescope for a cheap prank…_

Storing the bandana in a dimensional box, I also bumped into the Nice Cream Salesman again.

"I relocated my store, but there are still no customers… Fortunately, I've thought of a solution! Punch cards! Every time you buy a Nice Cream, you can take a punch card from the box. If you have 3 cards, you can trade them for a free Nice Cream! They're sure to get the customers to come back!"

 _The dollar store back home has a similar system. Mr. Andrews always buys things there, saying that he'll just earn all of his money back… it drives his wife nuts._

I walked past a blob-shaped monster.

"What's a star? Can you touch it? Can you eat it? Can you _kill_ it?... Are _you_ a star?"

 _Please tell me that this monster is being rhetorical…_

There were more echo flowers for me to listen to.

 _(You hear a passing conversation.)_

"So? Don't you have any wishes to make?"

"… hmmm, just one, but… It's kind of stupid."

Coming across a pair of ballet shoes (+7 ATK), Papyrus called me again.

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS! REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT CLOTHES! WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW… HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY… MURDERY. WELL, WORRY NOT DEAR HUMAN! PAPYRUS WOULD NEVER BETRAY YOU! I AM NOT A CRUEL PERSON. I STRIVE TO BE COMFORTING AND PLEASANT. PAPYRUS. HE SMELLS LIKE THE MOON. SO, BECAUSE OF MY INHERENT GOODNESS… I TOLD HER YOU WERE NOT WEARING A BANDANNA! EVEN THOUGH YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE! INSTEAD, I MADE SOMEHING UP! I TOLD HER YOU WERE WEARING… A DUSTY TUTU. IT PAIND ME TO TELL SUCH A BOLDFACED LIE. I KNOW YOU WOULD NEVER EVER WEAR A DUSTY TUTU. BUT YOUR SAFETY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FASHION. DANG! I JUST WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE…"

 _Called it. Now I have to change clothes again… and I look stupid. Thanks, Papyrus._

Rolling my eyes at Papyrus's antics, I continued to follow the trail of echo flowers.

"Don't say that! Come on, I promise I won't laugh."

I also looked at another tablet.

"The power to take their SOULs. This is the power that the humans feared."

After talking to an octopus-like monster named Onionsan (who lived in a shallow lake) and having an impromptu humming concert with a monster named Shyren (Sans sold some tickets made of toilet paper), I examined a piano tucked away in the corner of a room. A tablet told me to look for a song down the hall, where I read some more tablets.

"This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's SOUL. When a monster dies, its SOUL disappears. And an incredible power would be need to take the SOUL of a living monster."

"There is only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a "Boss Monster." A Boss Monster's SOUL is strong enough to persist after death… If only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL. But this has never happened. And now it never will."

 _I'm fairly certain that this is going to be important later, but why? My SOUL should allow me to pass the Barrier. I feel bad for the monsters, but I don't want the king to take my SOUL…_

Examining a horned statue up ahead, I noticed a slot for a thin object. I found a trash can full of umbrellas, grabbed one, and put it on top of the statue, causing a music box to play a haunting eight-note melody…

Playing the melody, a door opened. Walking in to a small room, I came across a "legendary artifact" (it was a small red rubber ball), the artifact was absorbed by the "Annoying Dog" (a little white dog), and the dog ran off. After that pointless diversion, I grabbed another umbrella and met the monster kid again.

"Yo, you got an umbrella? Awesome!"

The kid walked up to me.

"Let's go!"

Walking through the rain, Monster Kid continued to gush about his idol.

"Man, Undyne is sooooooo cool. She beats up bad guys and NEVER loses. If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night... knowing she was gonna beat me up! Ha ha."

"So, one time. We had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king - we had to call him "Mr. Dreemurr" - volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking... YO! How COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school!? She could beat up ALL the teachers! Ummm, maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers... She's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!"

 _That's… an interesting claim…_

Walking into a clearing, Monster Kid and I looked up at a castle in the distance, and I quietly made a wish for myself.

 _I wish… I wish that I can find the way home. I don't want to kill anyone… but I don't want to be killed, either._

Moving on, I put the umbrella in another trashcan, and we came to a tall ledge.

"Yo, this ledge is way too steep..."

Monster Kid helped me up to the ledge.

"Yo, you go on ahead. Don't worry about me. I always find a way to get through!"

The kid rushed off, tripping once again.

 _(The serene sound of a distant music box… It fills you with determination.)_

In a darkened hallway, there were some more tablets.

"The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy."

"In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust…"

Stepping on to a walkway made of wooden planks, a glowing blue circle appeared in front of me. I tensed, as several more circles appeared at my feet. The circles exploded upward into spears, as Undyne appeared on a lower walkway. Dodging more spears, I was forced into a dead end. Undyne slowed marched up to me. She abruptly summoned spears to slice the bridge.

 _I thought her goal was to capture me, not kill me…_

My half of the bridged collapsed, and I fell…

While I was unconscious, I heard a soft, high-pitched voice.

"It sounds like it came from over here… Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you… Are you okay? Here, get up… Chara, huh? That's a nice name. My name is…"

I slowly regained consciousness on another bed of flowers, and I stared at the twinkling ceiling.

 _I have_ got _to stop falling down so much. What was that dream about, anyway?... And who's Chara? Sigh… this is giving me a headache…_

Pulling myself to my feet, I found myself in a garbage dump with some human product brands.

 _(The water here seems to flow from the ceiling of the cavern… Occasionally, a piece of trash will flow through… and fall into the bottomless abyss below. Viewing this endless cycle of worthless garbage… It fills you with determination.)_

Walking through the trash dump, I grabbed some bars of "Astronaut Food" and passed by another cloth dummy. To my surprise, the dummy manifested eyes and attacked. The "Mad Dummy" was a ghost that lived inside a dummy, and they were angry because they thought I was rude to their cousin (the dummy from the Ruins).

"It spooked them right out of their dummy!"

"I ONLY SAID HELLO! ARE YOU A MORON!?"

The Mad Dummy ignored me, and we were stuck in a stalemate until Napstablook interrupted with his bullet tears. The shy ghost invited me to their house out of politeness, and I followed Napstablook to a small cluster of houses.

 _(You feel a calming tranquility. You're filled with determination…)_

Passing by a fish-themed house (and a calmer Mad Dummy), I read a sign pointing to Blook Acres, Hotland, and a place called Temmie Village. Taking a short breather, I talked to Napstablook about the latter's snail farm, played Thundersnail (a snail racing game, Napstablook gave me 30G because my snail thought it won when it got 2nd place), hung out with Napstablook (lying on the floor was surprising calming), listened to some of the ghost's mixtapes, and examined a locked house next to Napstablook's house. Checking behind the houses, I found a spare key that allowed me to enter the red house.

 _People always forget about the spare key under the doormat…_

The house was abandoned, but there were six red journals lying on the floor.

"Dear Diary: Shyren's sister "fell down" recently. It's sad. Without her sister to speak for her… She's become more reclusive than ever. So, I reached out to her, and told her… That she, Blooky, and I should all perform together sometime. She seemed to like that idea."

 _Fell down? Sounds ominous…_

"Dearer Diary: I like to buy a new diary for every entry I make. I love to collect diaries."

"Dearest Diary: Our cousin left the farm to become a training dummy. That leaves just Blooky and I. Blooky asked me if I was going to try to become corporeal, too. They sounded so… _Resigned_ … Come on, Blooky. You know I'd _never_ leave you behind. And besides… I'd _never_ find the kind of body I'm looking for, anyway."

"My Darling Diary: I met someone… _Interesting_ today. Last week I posted that advertisement for my Human Fanclub. Today was our first meeting. Only one other person came. Honestly, she's a _dork_. And she's obsessed with these _awful_ cartoons. But she's kind of funny, too… I want to see her again."

"Diary… My dear: My diary collection is going _fabulously_. I have like five now."

"Dear Diary: She surprised me with something today. Sketches of a body that she wants to create for me… A form beyond my wildest fantasies. In a form like that, I could finally feel like… "myself." After all, there's no way I can be a star the way I am now. Sorry, Blooky. My dreams can't wait for _anyone_ …"

… _Poor Napstablook…_

Heading east, I came across another shop, with an elderly turtle monster with an explorer's hat and a magnifying glass.

"Woah there! I've got some neat junk for sale."

"Who are you?"

"I've been around a long time. Maybe too long. Studying history sure is easy when you've lived through so much of it yourself! Wa ha ha!"

"What's that winged emblem carved on the cave wall?"

"Eh? You don't know what that is? What are they teaching you kids in school nowadays…? Wa ha ha! That's the Delta Rune, the emblem of our kingdom. The Kingdom… of Monsters. Wahaha! Great name, huh? It's as I always say… Ol' King Fluffybuns can't name for beans!"

"What does it mean?"

"That emblem actually predates written history. The original meaning has been lost to time… All we know is that the triangles symbolize us monsters below, and the winged circle above symbolizes… Somethin' else. Most people say it's the 'angel,' from the prophecy…"

"Prophecy?"

"Oh yeah… the prophecy. Legend has it, an 'angel' who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom. Lately, the people have taking a bleaker outlook… Callin' that winged circle the 'Angel of Death.' A harbinger of destruction, waitn' to 'free' us from this mortal realm… In my opinion, when I see that little circle… I jus' think it looks neat! Wahaha!"

 _That's… vague. There are millions of humans on the Surface. If the prophecy is this simplistic, then anyone could be the 'angel.'_

I asked about King Dreemurr.

"King Fluffybuns? He's a friendly, happy-go-lucky kind of guy… If you keep walking around long enough, you'll probably meet him. He loves to walk around and talk to people."

 _The king wants my soul… friendliness is practically irrelevant at this point._

"What's with the nickname?"

"Eh? Why do I call Dreemurr 'Fluffybuns?' Oh, that's a great story!... I don't remember it. But if you come back much later, I'm sure I'll have remembered by then."

 _I'll be sure to do that, then… what a cop out._

I asked the elderly monster if he could tell me about Undyne.

"Undyne? Yeah, she's a local hero around here. Through grit and determination alone. she fought her way to the top of the Royal Guard. Actually, she just came through here asking about someone who looked just like you…"

I watched the turtle monster, warily. He gave me a knowing look.

"I'd watch your back, kid. And buy some items… It might just save your hide! Wa ha ha!"

I decided to buy a set of Cloudy Glasses (+5 DEF, +9 INV frames), a Torn Notebook (+2 ATK, +6 INV frames), and some Crab Apples for healing.

Thanking the eccentric monster, I left the shop.

"Be careful out there, kid!"

Moving on, the tablets continued to tell a horrific story…

"Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful SOUL can leave."

 _That's probably how I fell in here in the first place… Seems like the ancient humans made a weird oversight, though. If nothing could enter through the seal, then the monsters would have had no chance to escape…_

"There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier… It will be destroyed."

 _Seven souls are needed, but how many more souls to the monsters need right now? Toriel mentioned that some children fell into the Underground before I did…_

"But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever."

 _Tempt fate, and she always delivers…_

Further along, I pacified a strange, cat-like monster called a Temmie, and I came across Temmie Village, a weird place full of Temmies.

 _(You feel… something. You're filled with detemmienation.)_

Repressing my latest weird experience, I found myself walking in pitch-blackness, and I found a new echo flower. A menacing voice sounded out.

"Behind you."

True enough, Undyne had cornered me again. This time, she spoke up.

"…Seven. Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king… King _Asgore_ Dreemurr… will become a _god_. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity… And give them back the _suffering_ and _pain_ that we have endured… Understand, human? This is your only chance at _redemption_. Give up your soul… Or I'll _tear_ it from your body."

"Screw you."

Undyne shifted her boots, summoned a spear in her grip, and charged at me, but was interrupted by Monster Kid.

"Undyne! I'll help you fight!"

Monster Kid looked at Undyne and I.

 _The kid can't be this dense…_

"YO! You did it! Undyne is RIGHT in front of you! You've got front row seats to her fight!"

 _Let's see if he can put two and two together._

The kid looked between us some more.

"...Wait. Who's she fighting?"

Undyne dismissed her spear, and dragged Monster Kid away…

"H-hey! You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?"

 _That was… anticlimactic._

Trudging along, I found the last field of echo flowers.

"… hmmm… if I say my wish... You promise you won't laugh at me?"

"Of course, I won't laugh!"

"Someday, I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around... That's my wish."

I heard some laughter.

"... hey, you said you wouldn't laugh at it!"

"Sorry, it's just funny... That's my wish, too."

I came to the last echo flower, which had a rather threatening message.

"Where oh where could that child be...? I've been looking all over for them... Hee hee hee. THAT'S not true. She'll find _another_ _kid_ , and instantly forget about you. You'll NEVER see her again."

 _Screw you too, Flowey. Sigh… I really hope that Toriel doesn't do something rash. She reminds me of Mrs. Reed. When her grandson died, she bought a dozen cats to replace him, and when she died, they ATE her…_

I also learned that Flowey could mimic the voices of other people…

I examined the last tablet.

"However, there is a prophecy. The Angel… The One Who Has Seen the Surface… They will return. And the underground will go empty."

 _Return? Not arrive? That implies that the Angel would need to travel to the Surface, AND return safely…_

I came to a narrow bridge. As I was crossing, Monster Kid caught up with me, panting.

"Yo!"

The kid came closer…

"Yo, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... I wanna ask you something ... Man, I've never had to ask anyone this before... Umm... Yo... You're human, right? Haha. Man! I knew it! ... well, I know it now, I mean... Undyne told me, um, "stay away from that human."

Monster Kid hesitated.

"So, like, ummm... I guess that makes us enemies or something. But I kinda stink at that, haha. Yo, say something mean so I can hate you? Please?"

I thought for a moment.

"I think you're annoying…?"

"Huh...? Yo, that's your idea of something mean? My sister says that to me ALL THE TIME! Guess I have to do it, haha. Yo, I... I hate your guts."

There was an awkward pause.

"...Man, I... I'm such a turd. I'm... I'm gonna go home now."

Monster Kid tripped once more, and they fell. They would have fallen to the ground, but the kid's shirt got caught on the bridge. I froze up in horror.

"Yo, w-w-wait! Help! I tripped!"

To make matters worse, Undyne approached from the other end of the bridged. I had to act quickly.

 _Think, Frisk, think… what should I do? If I try to help the kid, then Undyne might attack while I'm a sitting duck. But on the other hand, she wasn't willing to attack when the kid was in the way before… There's a fifty-fifty chance this will backfire…_

Suddenly, a memory came to me. I remembered Button's expression of fear, as he was about to plummet into the gaping abyss… and suddenly, I came to a realization.

 _If I had to do it over again… I wouldn't change a thing._

I cautiously walked over to the edge, lifted Monster Kid by their shirt, and set them down on the bridge. Undyne hesitated, but she stepped forward. Noticing this, Monster Kid spoke up.

"Y... y... yo... dude... If... if y-you wanna hurt my friend... You're gonna have to get through me, first."

Undyne stepped backward, and retreated…

Monster Kid turned to me.

"She's gone... Yo, you really saved my skin. Guess being enemies was just a nice thought, haha. We'll just have to be friends instead... man, I should REALLY go home... I bet my parents are worried sick about me!"

I nodded, wordlessly. The young monster ran off.

"Later, dude!"

I sat on the bridge for a moment, thinking…

 _I'm just glad that no one fell this time…_

After my heartrate returned to normal, I walked to the entrance of a cave. At the top of a spiked ridge, Undyne was waiting for me.

"Seven. Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god. _Six_. That's how many we have collected thus far."

 _That answers one of my many questions…_

"Understand? Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be _transformed_. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far… I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people."

 _Sigh… I already know about your sob story… Are you seriously going to monologue right now!?_

"It all started, long ago…"

Undyne paused.

"… No, you know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE!? NGAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

 _That was a complete 180…_

Undyne tore off her helmet, revealing a blue face, some red hair tied back in a ponytail, a yellow eye, fins, and some jagged teeth.

"YOU! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys's history books made me think humans were _cool_ … with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen."

… _Is she talking about anime?_

"BUT YOU? You're just a coward! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again!"

 _Up yours, hag. I stand by my decision._

"And let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes-schtick! Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers! You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD!"

 _Are you seriously ASKING me to KILL PEOPLE!?_

"That's right, human! Your continued existence is a _crime_! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose! Now, human! Let's end this, right here, right now. I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready! Fuhuhuhu!"

 _(The wind is howling. You're filled with determination…)_

 _You don't scare me, Captain Undyne. BRING IT ON._

I stepped forward…

"That's it, then…! No more running away!"

…and Undyne lunged.

"HERE I COME!"

She swiped at me with her spear, and my SOUL turned _green_. A spear manifested in front of me, and I grabbed it.

"En Garde!"

 _(Undyne attacks!)_

 _(ACT-CHECK-UNDYNE: Undyne, 50 ATK 20 DEF. "The heroine that NEVER gives up.")_

"As long as you're **GREEN** you **CAN'T ESCAPE**!"

 _Is she seriously telling me to run away…?_

"Unless you learn to _face danger head-on_ … You won't last a SECOND against ME!"

She launched three spears at me, which I blocked with my own spear. Standing my ground, I waited for my SOUL to change color. Undyne continued to hurl spears and quips at me.

"Not bad! Then how about THIS!?"

"For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending..."

"And now, sunlight is just within our reach!"

"I won't let you snatch it away from us!"

"NGAHHH! Enough warming up!"

I spared her again…

"Mercy! Ha! I still can't believe YOU want to spare ME!"

"But even if I spared YOU..."

"No human has EVER made it past Asgore!"

 _Thank you, Captain Obvious…_

"Honestly, killing you now is an act of mercy...!"

 _You can try…_

"…So, STOP being so damn resilient!"

 _No._

"What the hell are humans made out of!?"

 _Yes._

"Anyone else would be DEAD by now!"

 _I'm not anyone else. You're stuck in here with me…_

"Alphys told me humans were determined..."

 _I get it, dumbass…_

"I see now what she meant by that!"

"But I'm determined, too!"

"Determined to end this RIGHT NOW!"

"... RIGHT NOW!"

"... RIGHT... ... ... NOW!"

"Ha... Ha... NGAHHH! DIE ALREADY, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

I grinned.

 _What's the matter, Captain? Feeling tired?_

"I WILL NEVER TAKE MERCY FROM THE LIKES OF YOU!"

"YOU! WILL! NEVER! SPARE! ME!"

Finally, Undyne turned my soul back to red, and I disengaged. Undyne repeatedly chased me, spouting off more dumb quips.

"You won't get away from me this time!"

"Honestly, I'm doing you a favor..."

"You've escaped from me for the LAST time!"

"COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE PUNK!"

Honestly, she was more annoying than dangerous…

Undyne chased me through the cave, past a flashing sign titled "WELCOME TO HOTLAND," and I got a phone call from Papyrus. Undyne stopped, tapping her boots impatiently.

"HEY, WHAT'S UP!? I WAS JUST THINKING… YOU, ME, AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME! I THINK YOU WOULD MAKE GREAT PALS! LET'S MEET UP AT HER HOUSE LATER!"

 _Sigh…_

Running past Sans, who was dozing at another station with fake snow, I faintly heard Undyne yelling at the lazy skeleton. Taking advantage of Sans' audacity, I crossed a bridge into Hotland, which was full of lava. I was sweating heavily, but Undyne looked like she was about to have _heat stroke_.

"Armor… so… hot… But I can't... Give up…"

Undyne collapsed, with her tongue sticking out.

 _Ha… like fish in a barrel…_

I helped myself to a drink of water from a nearby water cooler.

 _Just like fried snow… Sans, eat your heart out._

Panting heavily, I pondered what to do about the steaming fish lady.

 _If I give her some water, she might attack me again…she seems like the prideful, ungrateful type… But I can't exactly leave her here, either. Sans might just leave her to roast out of sheer laziness… Well, it's worth a shot…_

I dumped a cup of water on Undyne and retreated to a safe distance. Undyne stood up, looked at me… and walked away. Looking around, I met a mysterious, robed monster called the Riverperson, who ran a ferry service.

I considered my options and thought about Papyrus's request.

 _Should I go see Undyne? I don't want her to attack me again, but seeing how aggressive she is, I'd prefer not to have her ambush me later. At least this ferry will save some time…_

I asked the Riverperson to take me to Waterfall.

"Tra la la. Beware of the man who speaks in hands."

Getting off, I went to Undyne's house, and I saw Papyrus standing in front of the doorway.

"OHO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! ARE YOU READY TO HANG OUT WITH UNDYNE? I HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE YOU TWO GREAT FRIENDS!"

"Care to elaborate?"

"OKAY! STAND BEHIND ME!"

Papyrus looked over his shoulder.

"PSST. MAKE SURE TO GIVE HER THIS!"

He pulled out a dog treat.

"SHE LOVES THESE!"

 _Ummm…_

Papyrus knocked on the door. The door slid open, revealing the good captain herself.

"Hi, Papyrus! Ready for you extra-private, one-on-one training?"

 _She seems to have calmed down, somewhat…_

"YOU BET I AM! AND I BROUGHT A FRIEND!"

Papyrus moved to the side, revealing my presence.

"Hi, I don't think we've…"

She trailed off after she recognized me. She grimaced.

"Why don't. You two. Come in?"

And so, three people walked inside. One was annoyed, another was ecstatic, and the third was extremely tired…

"HERE, UNDYNE. MY FRIEND BROUGHT A GIFT FOR YOU, ON THEIR OWN!"

Papyrus showed the bone treat to Undyne.

"Uhhh… thanks. I'll, uh, put it with the others."

She tossed the bone into a drawer full of identical bones.

"So, are we ready to start?"

"WHOOPSY DOOPSY! I JUST REMEMBERED! I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM! YOU TWO HAVE FUN!"

Papyrus jumped through a nearby window.

 _I'm not even surprised anymore… In regards to Papyrus, normal is the new weird…_

Undyne glared at me.

"… So why are YOU here? To rub you victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? IS THAT IT?"

I stared back, pointedly.

"… No, I only came because Papyrus asked me to."

"Then why are you here...? Wait, I get it. You think that I'm gonna be friends with you, huh? Right?"

 _If I say yes… she'll probably tell me to never bother her again…_

"… Yes. That is _precisely_ what I was hoping for…"

"Really? How delightful! I accept! Let's all frolic in the fields of friendship!... NOT! If you weren't my houseguest, I'd beat you up right now! You're the enemy of everyone's hopes and dream! I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND. Now get out of my house!"

Papyrus walked up to the window from the outside.

"DANG! WHAT A SHAME… I THOUGHT UNDYNE COULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU. BUT I GUESS… I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE."

The smug skeleton left. Undyne was livid.

 _Did he just use reverse psychology on his boss? I'd commend him for his cleverness, but he's also messing up my plan again…_

"CHALLENGE!? What!? Papyrus! Wait a second…! Darnit! He thinks I can't be friends with YOU!? Fuhuhu! What a joke! I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day!"

 _I defeated you in a battle, fish-sticks. Who's the real wimp here?_

"I'll show him! Listen up human. We're not just going to be friends. We're going to be… BESTIES."

 _I already have a bestie, and he's ten times nicer than you… Wait, who uses the word "bestie," anyways?_

"I'll make you like me so much… You won't be able to think of anyone else! Fuhuhuhu! It's the PERFECT REVENGE!"

 _Keep telling yourself that, fish lady. Sigh… Let's just get this over with._

"… Why don't you have a seat?"

I examined a large sword lying against the wall.

"Humans suck, but their history… Kinda rules. Case in point: This giant sword! Historically, humans wielded swords up to ten times their size. RIGHT?"

"… No."

"Pfft! You liar! I've READ Alphys's human history book collection! I know all about your giant swords… Your colossal, alien-fighting robots…"

 _Neon Genesis Evangelion… It was super popular a few years ago…_

"… Your supernatural princesses…"

 _Sailor Moon… The girls at my school REALLY like that one… Wait, has she seen Studio Ghibli? You can't forget about Studio Ghibli…_

I examined the broken window.

"I can't believe he leapt through the window like that. Normally he NAILS the landing."

 _Talk about skewed priorities…_

l asked Undyne about her piano.

"One time, Alphys's… Uh, friend? Came over here. All he did was lie seductively on the piano… And fed himself grapes. I don't really like that guy. But I admire his lifestyle."

 _Hmmm…_

I observed Undyne's cooktop stove.

"This oven is some top-of-the-line MTT thing. But, y'know, as much as technology advances… Nothing beats food home-cooked with fire magic."

 _Sounds nice… Too bad humans don't use magic._

I briefly opened the bone drawer, and Annoying Dog was inside. It winked at me, and I closed the drawer.

Repressing this experience, I took a seat at the table.

"Comfortable? I'll get you something to drink."

The hostess grabbed some drink options from her "hot fridge," and set them down on the counter.

"All set! What would you like?"

"Ummm…"

I lifted my finger, and Undyne threw a spear at the table, breaking it in half.

"HEY! DON'T GET UP! YOU'RE THE GUEST! SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOURSELF!"

Undyne hesitated.

"Um, why not just point to what you want? You can use the spear!"

 _I thought that the hostess's job was to make the guest feel COMFORTABLE…_

I pointed to a blue container.

"Oh, you want some hot chocolate? Wait, wait, I just remembered… That container's empty. I stopped getting it because it was always a hassle… Asgore kept getting marshmallows stuck in his beard."

 _So, Undyne knows King Asgore… makes sense, considering how she's the Captain of the Royal Guard…_

Putting this tidbit in the back of my head, I pointed towards a box of tea, labeled "Golden Flower."

 _Too bad she doesn't have ginseng tea._

"… tea, huh? Coming right up!"

The fish lady put a tea kettle on the stove.

"It'll take a moment for the water to boil."

The kettle started to whistle.

"Okay, it's all done!"

Undyne added some sugar to the tea, poured out a cup, and set it on the table.

"Here we are."

She took a seat at the opposite end of the table.

"Careful, it's hot."

I blew on the tea for a few seconds.

"It's not THAT hot! Just drink it already!"

 _You can't rush tea drinking, you uncultured swine…_

Keeping my comments to myself, I took a sip of the tea. It was burning hot, but it was decent.

"It's pretty good, right? Nothing but the best for my ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS FRIEND!"

Undyne paused for a moment, thinking.

"Hey… You know... It's kind of strange you chose THAT tea. Golden flower tea… That's Asgore's favorite kind."

 _Really? I just chose it by random…_

"Actually, now that I think about it… You kind of remind me of him."

 _How so? He's probably not a human like me…_

"You're both TOTAL weenies!"

 _I thought you were a patriot, Captain…_

… sort of."

More awkward silence.

"Y'know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid."

 _Oh really? How surprising…_

"Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore."

 _I see where this is going…_

"Emphasis on TRIED. I couldn't land a single blow on him! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back! I was so humiliated… Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy… "Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?""

 _There it is… Sigh, well, I can't fault her for being patriotic…_

"I said yes, and from then on, he trained me. On day, during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt… bad."

 _Imagine that… the aggressive fish lady felt bad when she won…_

"But he was beaming…"

 _Ugggh…_

"I had never seen someone prouder to get their butt kicked."

 _Sounds like you should follow his example, you sore loser._

"Anyway, long story short, he kept training me… And now I'm the head of the Royal Guard!"

 _Cool story… but would you PLEASE get to the point!?_

"So, I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight!... like, uh, Papyrus."

 _I remember Sans talking about Papyrus's "warrior training."_

More silence.

"But, um, to be honest… I don't know if… I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard."

 _So, you're keeping him busy with a snipe hunt? That's a bit cruel…_

"Don't tell him I said that! He's just… Well… I mean, it's not that he's weak. He's actually pretty freaking tough! It's just that… He's… He's too innocent and nice! I mean, look, he was SUPPOSED to capture you… And he ended up being FRIENDS with you instead!"

 _That's what you're trying to do right now!_

"I could NEVER send him into battle! He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds."

 _Also, did you seriously ask Papyrus to capture a human by himself? If I had wanted to hurt him, Papyrus would have been absolutely screwed…_

"That's part of why… I started teaching him know to cook, you know?"

 _I don't know, but I'm sure you would love to explain…_

"So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life."

 _You have your reasons, but doesn't your friend deserve the truth?_

Undyne realized something.

"Oh, sorry, I was talking for so long… You're out of tea, aren't you?"

I looked down at my cup.

 _I've still got some tea left. I'm not a heavy drinker, unlike some people…_

"I'll get you some more."

Undyne walked to the tea kettle, but she paused. She slowly turned towards me.

"Wait a second. Papyrus… His cooking lesson… HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!"

 _I knew she was forgetting something…_

"And if HE's not here to have it… YOU'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM!"

 _Why not just reschedule the lesson?_

The aggressive hostess jumped onto the countertop, kicking the drink containers to the floor.

 _Undyne, calm down before you get us both killed!_

"That's right! NOTHING has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means that if I give you his lesson… WE'LL BECOME CLOSER THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE! Fuhuhu! Afraid!? We're going to be best friends!"

Undyne dragged me over to the countertop.

"Let's start with the sauce!"

The amateur chef stomped her left foot, causing some tomatoes to fall from the ceiling to the countertop."

"Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy! Now! Pound them to dust with your fists!"

I imagined Flowey, and I flicked a tomato onto the countertop with my middle finger.

"YEAH! YEAH! Our hearts are uniting against these healthy ingredients! NOW IT'S MY TURN! NGAHHH!"

Undyne smashed the tomatoes, splattering juice all over the wall.

"Uhh, we'll just scrape this into a bowl later."

 _Ewww…_

"But for NOW!"

Undyne stomped again, dropping a packet of spaghetti and a cooking pot onto the stove.

"... we add the noodles! Homemade noodles are the best! BUT I JUST BUY STORE-BRAND! THEY'RE THE CHEAPEST!"

 _Ahhh... store brand… the secret to a middle-class family…_

"NGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!... Uhh, just put them in the pot."

I dumped in the noodles in, like a regular person.

 _Wait, where's the water?_

"YEAH! I'M INTO IT!"

She turned towards the pasta.

"Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir… THE BETTER IT IS! Ready? Let's do it!"

 _No, seriously… WHERE'S THE WATER!?_

Resigned, I slowly stir the dry pasta.

Undyne was disappointed in my stirring techniques, so she took matters into her own hands.

"Ugh, let me do it!"

The idiot fish lady repeatedly jabbed the pot with another energy spear.

"Fuhuhuhu! That's the stuff! Alright, now for the final step: TURN UP THE HEAT! Let the stove top symbolize your passion! Let you hopes and dreams turn into burning fire! READY! Don't hold anything back!"

 _All I want to do is go home, sleep, and enjoy the rest of spring break…_

I turned up the stove to "low." Out of curiosity, I tried to turn it down.

"Left? You fool! THIS BURNER ONLY GOES ONE WAY!"

 _This will not end well._

"Ugh, let me do it!"

Completely ignorant of the flaw in her stove, she turned up the heat to "MAXIMUM POWER," causing huge flames to billow out.

"See!? This is how you-"

Suddenly, the dumb fish realized that her kitchen was on fire.

"Ah. Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking."

 _Wow, way to be supportive of your friend, Undyne…_

"So, what's next! Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?... Oh, who am I kidding? I really screwed this up, didn't I? I can't force you to like me, human. Some people just don't get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me. And if we can't be friends… That's okay. Because… If we're not friends… IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!"

Undyne summoned an energy spear.

 _What happened to your sacred hospitality?_

"I've been defeated… My house is in shambles… I even failed to befriend you. That's it. I don't care if you're my guest anymore. One final rematch! All out on both sides! IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE! NOW COME ON! HIT ME WITH AL YOU'VE GOT! NGAHHHH!"

Completely fed up with Undyne's recklessness, I smacked her in the face with the torn notebook, dealing a single point of damage.

"What. That's the best you can manage? Even attacking at full force… You just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?"

 _I considered using more force, but you're just a sad, deluded person who's just not worth the effort…_

"... Heh, you know what?"

She dismissed her spear.

"I don't actually want to hurt you either. At first, I hated your stupid saccharine schtick, but… The way you hit me right now, it… Reminded me of someone I used to train with."

 _You already told me this story…_

"Now I know you aren't just some wimpy loser. You're a wimpy loser with a big heart!"

 _Sigh… here we go again…_

"Just like him… Listen, human. It seems that you and Asgore are fated to fight. But knowing him… He probably doesn't want to."

 _Then why did he promise to break the Barrier?_

"Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home."

 _I can only talk to him if he doesn't interrupt me like all the other monsters down here…_

"Eventually, some mean human will fall down here… And I'll take THEIR soul instead. That makes sense, right? Fuhuhu. Oh, and if you DO hurt Asgore… I'll take the human souls… Cross the barrier… And beat the hell out of you! That's what friends are for, right?"

 _You're not very good at persuasion, are you…_

"Fuhuhu! Now let's get the hell out of this flaming house!"

Outside, I looked at the flames.

 _Please tell me that she has fire insurance… Wait, do they even have insurance down here?_

"Well, that was fun, huh? We'll have to hang out again another time…! But, uh, somewhere else I guess. In the meantime, I guess I'll go hang with Papyrus. So, if you need me, drop by Snowdin, OK!? OH! AND if you ever need help… Just give Papyrus a ring, ok? Since we're in the same spot, I'll be able to talk too! Well, see ya later, punk!"

Undyne rushed off, and I decided to call Papyrus.

"THAT'S UNDYNE'S HOUSE. IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO… UHHH?"

I heard some heavy breathing.

"Huff… puff…! YEAH! That's MY HOUSE!"

"HI, UNDYNE! HOW'D YOU GET HERE SO FAST?"

"I ran."

"WOWIE! UNDYNE! SOMEDAY I WANT TO BE A STRONG AND SWEATY AS YOU!"

 _I still feel tired, but I have to keep moving…_

I asked the Riverperson to take me to Hotland.

"Tra la la. Humans, monsters… Flowers."

Walking past a pair of armored monsters who were standing guard on Undyne's orders, I looked towards a white building titled "LAB."

 _(Seeing such a strange laboratory in a place like this… You're filled with determination.)_


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: "Reach for the Stars"**

Inside the building, the lights were dimmed, but I could hear some conveyor belts. Oddly enough, I came across a huge video screen that was recording me...

 _Does this have something to do with that camera outside the Ruins?_

Passing by a table, a refrigerator, and a jumbo bag of dog food, a sliding door opened, and a hunched, yellow dinosaur monster walked out. She was wearing glasses and a lab coat. The lights brightened, and she stopped when she saw me. The monster started to panic.

"Oh. My god. I didn't expect you to show up so soon!"

I raised my eyebrows.

 _You knew I was coming?_

"I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, it's all messy, and…"

She turned to look at me. Her smile seemed rather nervous.

"Umm… H-h-hiya! I'm Dr. Alphys. I'm Asgore's royal scientist! B-b-but, ahhhh, I'm not one of the "bad guys!""

 _I thought that I was supposed to be the bad guy, just because I'm a human…_

"Actually, since you stepped out of the Ruins, I've, um… been "observing" your journey through my console."

 _So, you were spying on me… not cool, doctor._

"Your fights… Your friendships… Everything! I was originally going to stop you, but…"

 _BUT!? Don't you have some sort of duty to the throne, like Undyne?_

"Watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them."

 _I call BS._

"S-so, ahh, now I want to help you!"

 _I don't know exactly why, but I have a really bad feeling about you…_

"Using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Hotland! I know a way right to Asgore's castle, no problem!"

 _Either she's lying, or she's committing treason… there is no good explanation for this…_

"Well, actually, umm, there's just a tiny issue."

 _Sigh… here we go again…_

"A long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot. Uh, you know, like a robotic TV star or something. Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments."

 _I think I see where she's going with this…_

"Like, um… Anti… anti-human combat features?"

 _Please tell me that this is just a prank… where's Sans when you need him?_

"Of c-course, when I saw you coming, I immediately decided… "I have to remove those features!" Unfortunately, I may have made a _teensy_ mistake while doing so."

 _Complete BS. Either that, or she's incompetent at her job._

"And, um… Now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood? Ehehehehe… Heh. But, umm, hopefully we won't run into him!"

I glared at the "doctor."

"THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER-"

Clang.

Alphys acted like she was completely innocent.

"…?"

Clang.

Alphys smiled.

"Did you hear something?"

 _Enjoy this while you can, Doctor Alphys…_

Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.

"Oh no."

I heard a robotic, monotone voice.

"OHHHH YES! WELCOME BEAUTIES…"

Suddenly, a spotlight illuminated a robotic calculator with arms and a wheel.

"… TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!"

 _A real murderous robot would just skip to the murder…_

A sign titled "GAME SHOW" dropped down, along with two disco balls and some confetti.

"OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW! EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANT!"

The robot clapped its hands.

"NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORGEOUS? NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE. ANSWER CORRECTLY… OR YOU DIE!"

 _(Mettaton attacks!)  
(Check-Mettaton:_ 30 ATK 255 DEF _His metal body renders him invulnerable to attack.)_

 _(Check-Mettaton: His metal body STILL renders him invulnerable to attack.)_

 _(Check-Mettaton: Seriously, his metal body is invulnerable to attack!)_

 _So, the robot uses male pronouns... how interesting…_

I look at the option to "cry."

 _(Screaming is against the rules.)_

Rolling my eyes, I wait for Mettaton to make the first move.

"LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE!"

 _(What's the prize for answering correctly?)_

The options were "Money, Mercy, New car, and More questions."

Alphys looked at the question, and made a symbol for D (More questions) with her claws.

 _I know she's trying to pull the wool over my eyes, but I think I can rely on her for now. She wants me to trust her, and I definitely won't do that if she deliberately gives me the wrong answers…_

I selected D. Alphys gave me a thumbs up, and Mettaton replied.

"RIGHT! SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT!"

The quiz show continued for a while.

 _(What's the king's full name?)_

"C, Asgore Dreemurr."

 _(What are robots made of?)_

"B, Metal and Magic."

Mettaton gave me a ridiculously long train problem. I ignored it and looked at Alphys's claws.

"D, 32.058 minutes."

 _(How many flies are in this jar?)_

"A, 54."

 _(What monster is this?)_

It looked like half of a Froggit's face, but I checked with Alphys to make sure.

"D, Mettaton."

The picture turned out to be Mettaton wearing a Froggit shirt.

 _(Would you smooch a ghost?)_

All of the answers were "Heck Yeah," and Alphys glared in my direction.

 _Sigh…_

I picked A.

 _(How many letters in the name Mettaton nnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…)_

"C, 78."

 _(In the dating simulation video game "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie" what is Mew Mew's favorite food?)_

Alphys blurted the answer out loud, forgetting the importance of nonverbal communication.

"OH! OH! I KNOW THIS ONE! IT'S SNAIL ICE CREAM! IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER EVERYONE GOES TO THE BEACH! AND SHE BUYS ICE CREAM FOR ALL OF HER FRIENDS! BUT IT'S SNAIL FLAVOR AND SHE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO WANT IT! IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF THE GAME BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY POWERFUL message about friendship and…"

She trailed off, and Mettaton chided her.

"ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS."

Alphys started to share her head.

"YOU AREN'T HELPING OUR CONTESTANT, ARE YOU? OOOOOOH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. I'LL ASK A QUESTION…"

The doctor covered her mouth in horror.

"YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!"

 _(Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?)_

The options were "Undyne, Asgore, the human, and Don't know."

 _Hmmm… I'd rather not assume the good doctor's "preferences," so I'll just play it safe._

"D. I don't know…"

Relieved, Alphys smiled and gave me another thumbs up.

"CORRECT. DR ALPHYS HAS A CRUSH ON… THE UNKNOWABLE."

Alphys glared at me.

"YOU SEE, ALPHYS BELIEVES THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE. SOMEONE WATCHING HER."

The scientist grinned, sheepishly.

"SOMEONE SHE THINKS IS "CUTE" AND "INTERESTING. HELLO, THEORETICAL PERSON. DR. ALPHYS LIKES YOU. TOO BAD YOU ARE NOT REAL."

Alphys glared again.

"DERISIVE LAUGHTRACK."

The mortified lizard spoke up.

"H-hey, I've done research about this! There are alternate universes out there! S-someday, maybe, I could meet them…"

"YOU SAID THE EXACT SAME THING ABOUT MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE. BUT I'LL GIVE YOU THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT. IF YOU'RE OUT THERE… HOW ABOUT GIVING US A SIGN, RIGHT NOW?"

Nothing happened, but oddly enough, I faintly heard a loud, boisterous, feminine shout in my head.

"THAT SETTLES THAT, DOESN'T IT? WELL WELL WELL. WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU… THE SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION! WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS! BUT… THIS WAS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE! NEXT, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE! MORE BLOODSHED! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS…!"

Mettaton shifted to a more compact form, and activated a rocket booster, flying off into the ceiling.

Alphys turned to look at me.

"… Well, that was certainly something."

 _Please stop…_

"Th-that last question… He wasn't s-supposed to ask that one…"

 _But you were expecting all of his other questions, huh?_

I checked the hole in the wall.

 _(The space behind the wall is only a few feet wide.)_

 _So, they were both trying to trick me… Sigh… My best option is to humor them for now. Alphys might sic something more dangerous on me if I confront her at the moment…_

I tried to move up ahead, but Alphys stopped me.

"Wait, wait! Let me give you my ph-phone number! Th-then… m-maybe… If you need help. I could…"

She looked at my phone in shock.

"Wh… where'd you get that phone!? It's ANCIENT!"

 _Rude… this phone is just as good as my regular cell phone…_

"It doesn't even have texting."

 _Don't even get me STARTED on texting…_

"W-wait a second, please!"

She took my phone to her workbench, resulting in drilling noises and a _scream_ , of all things. The _brilliant_ scientist then returned the phone to me.

"Here, I upgraded it for you! It can do texting, items…"

 _This phone contains two dimensional boxes, so I can now carry eight items in my bag, along with ten items in each box. That's… actually pretty nice of her._

"… it's got a key chain… I even signed you up for the underground's No. 1 social network!"

 _Ugh… do I need to worry about fees and microtransactions? Also, did she set the password herself? I heard about this type of situation at an online safety seminar…_

"Now we're officially friends! Ehehehe!"

 _Your laugh is really starting to get on my nerves…_

"Heheh… Heh… I'm going to the bathroom."

The awkward lizard ducked behind a sliding door.

Moving on, I grabbed a pack of instant noodles, passed some books labeled "Human History" (that were actually comic books, explaining Undyne's ignorance of humanity), some unopened letters addressed to Alphys, and a promo poster for Mettaton's TV premiere. The poster contained a thank-you message from Mettaton to Alphys.

 _(On the flap it says "Thank you for making my dreams come true.")_

 _So, Alphys wasn't lying about the entertainment part… Wait, didn't Napstablook's cousin leave to become a star?_

While walking outside, I got a _text message_ from Alphys.

"just realized i didn't watch undyne fight the human v.v"

 _Crap… this reminds me of the texting at school… I still get nightmares about that rumor mill… Also, Alphys is going to be severely disappointed when she looks at that footage…_

"well i know she's unbeatable i'll ask her abt it later ^.^"

 _Honestly, she wasn't THAT powerful… Sigh…_

"for now i gotta call up the human and guide them =^.^="

 _Wait, she's not messaging me on purpose?_

Navigating a set of conveyor belts, I "encouraged" a Vulkin (a volcano that believed its lava had "healing properties").

"gonna call them in a minute! =^.^="

 _Heh… procrastinator… you would get along fine with my classmates…_

 _(The whooshing sound of steam and cogs... it fills you with determination.)_

"I HATE USING THE PHONE I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS LMAO ^.^"

 _I know some humans who think that LMAO is how French people laugh…_

Flatly ignoring a Tsunderplane (DON'T ASK), I found some steam vents that could propel me across gaps between the raised rock platforms.

"omg i've had my claw over the last digit for 5 minutes omg i'm just gonna do it i'm just gonna call!"

Despite her text, she didn't call me. Well, she tried, but then she immediately hung up. After that false start, she called me to tell me about some orange lasers up ahead.

"Uhh! H-hi, so, the blue lasers… Uhh! I mean, Alphys here! Hi! The _blue lasers_ won't hurt you if you don't move!"

 _Sans already told me about blue attacks and Papyrus's gravity special attack…_

" _O-orange_ ones, um… Y-you have to be moving and they… Um, they won't, um… _Move_ though those ones!"

"… Thank you, Doctor Alphys…"

"… Uhh, bye!"

Alphys updated her status after our phone call.

"OMG I DID IT! claws haven't shook like that since undyne called me to ask about the weather… v.v"

Moving through the orange and blue lasers…

"WAIT THERE'S NO WEATHER DOWN HERE WHY DID SHE CALL ME"

… I deactivated the puzzle with a red button.

"Oh My God i Forgot to Tell Them Where To Go"

"Cute PIC OF ME RIGHT NOW ^.^"

 _(It's a photo of a garbage can with several pink, glittery filters over it.)_

"A-A-Alphys here! Th… the northern door will stay locked until you… S-solve the puzzles on the right and left! I… I think you sh-should g-g-go to the right first!"

"Thanks."

Passing by some of Mettaton's fans (who believed that "the human" was part of the "special effects"), I got another text from the "intelligent" Doctor Alphys.

"wonder if it would be unfun if i explained the puzzle…"

 _I initially disliked the puzzles in the Ruins and Snowdin Forest, but at this point, I'll take all the help I can get…_

The new puzzle reminded me of Space Invaders, and it also involved sliding blocks. After proceeding the left wing, Alphys chimed in, right on time.

"Alphys! Here! That blue laser seems totally impassible! B-b-but! As the Royal Scientist, I h-have some tricks up my sleeve! I'll h-hack into th-the Hotland laser database and take it out!"

After the laser vanished, I spoke with two nearby monsters.

"We were hanging out when suddenly, a bucha puzzles reactivated out of nowhere. This is a huge problem… It rules! They've GOTTA cancel school over this!"

 _Sounds about right… After all, you have to turn something ON before you can turn it off, and Alphys probably has complete control over all the puzzles in this area… Well, onward and upward…_

After solving the puzzle, I proceeded through the northern door, and spared a Pyrope (a fire monster that liked higher temperatures). While walking, I found a frying pan (+10 ATK, +4 extra HP restored when consuming healing items), and a stained apron (+11 Defense, +1 HP restoration every other turn).

"whatever! i'll just explain it!"

 _I just did the shooter puzzles, genius. I thought you were spying on me, anyways…_

"Uuuh, I think… Umm… Hey! About the puzzles on the left and right…! They're a bit difficult to explain, but… uhhh, you already s-solved them? Awesome!"

 _Bravo! Well done, Doctor Alphys!_

After stepping onto a set of blue tiles, I found myself in a darkened hallway.

"H-Hey, it's kind of dark in there, isn't it?"

 _Thank you for stating the obvious._

"Don't worry! I'll hack into the light system and brighten it up!"

With the lights on, I found myself on a cooking TV set.

"Oh no."

Mettaton rose up from a countertop, wearing a chef's hat.

"OHHHH YES!"

 _Let's just get this over with, I have places to go…_

"WECOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!"

I noticed a sign, titled "Cooking with a Killer Robot."

"PRE-HEAT YOUR OVENS, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY! WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING… A CAKE!"

Mettaton gestured to me.

"MY LOVELY ASSISTANT HERE WILL GATHER THE INGREDIENTS. EVERYONE GIVE THEM A BIG HAND!"

Que the clapping and the confetti.

"WE'LL NEED SUGAR, MILK, AND EGGS. GO FOR IT, SWEETHEART!"

Humoring the oversized calculator, I grabbed the things he asked for, and set them down on the countertop.

"PERFECT! GREAT JOB, BEAUTIFUL! WE'VE GOT ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS WE NEED TO BAKE THE CAKE! MILK… SUGAR… EGGS… OH MY! WAIT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! HOW COULD I FORGET! WE'RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!"

The robotic tin can pulled out a _real chainsaw_ , with a _real blade_.

"A HUMAN SOUL!"

 _Uh oh…_

Revving the chainsaw, Mettaton slowed advanced on me as I backed away. However, before he could reach me, Alphys _conveniently_ interrupted by calling Mettaton.

"HELLO…? I'M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE."

"W-wait a second! Couldn't you make a… Couldn't you use a… Couldn't you make a substitution in the recipe?!"

"… A SUBSTITUTION? YOU MEAN, USE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT?... WHY?"

"Uhh, what if someone's… Vegan?"

I facepalmed.

 _Vegan, Alphys? Really?_

"…VEGAN."

"Uh well I mean-"

"THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS! ACTUALLY, I HAPPENED TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE! MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENTIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE!"

 _Substitute? Never mind, I don't even want to know…_

"A CAN OF WHICH… IS JUST OVER ON THAT COUNTER!"

He motioned towards a counter with a red can, a few yards away.

"WELL, DARLING? WHY DON'T YOU GO GET IT?"

I walked over to the can, but the counter was raised up _several stories_.

 _Sigh… Now you're just being obnoxious._

"BY THE WAY, OUR SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE. IF YOU CAN'T GET THE CAN IN THE NEXT ONE MINUTE… WE'LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN! SO… BETTER START CLIMBING, BEAUTIFUL!"

 _That reminds me, I still need to scratch indoor rock climbing off my bucket list… I wonder if Button and David would like to join… No, wait, David isn't good with physical exertion, and Button would just faint._

Mettaton launched into the air, and Alphys gave me an easy way out.

"Oh no! There's not enough time to climb up!... F-f-fortunately, I might have a plan! When I was upgrading you phone, I added a few… features."

 _I assume you planned this all out, then…_

"You see that huge button that says "JETPACK?" Watch this!"

I pressed the button, and it turned itself into a yellow jetpack that attached itself to my back.

"There! You should have just enough fuel to reach the top! Now, get up there!"

After dodging some cooking ingredients (courtesy of Mettaton), I managed to reach the countertop.

"MY, MY. IT SEEMS YOU'VE BESTED ME. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS! OH, I LOATH TO THINK OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU WITHOUT HER! WELL, TOODLES!"

Mettaton left for a moment, then returned.

"OH YES, ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTION… HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN A COOKING SHOW BEFORE? I ALREADLY BAKED THE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME! SO, FORGET IT!"

 _That was pretty exciting…_

After my feet hit the ground again, Alphys chimed in.

"Wow! We… we did it! We… we really did it! Great job out there, team!"

 _What team? It's just you and me…_

"W-well, uh, anyway, let's keep heading forward!"

 _(An ominous structure looms in the distance… You're filled with determination.)_

"S-see that building in the distance? That's the CORE. The source of all power for the underground. It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity, by… Uhh, anyway, that's where we're going to go. In the CORE is an elevator directly to Asgore's castle. And from there… You can go home."

 _Still doesn't explain why you want to help me, though…_

Up ahead, I took an elevator to a location labeled "Right Floor 2," and I saw Sans at yet another station with fake snow.

"hey buddy, what's up? wanna buy a hot dog? it's only 30G."

"…Nah…"

Interestingly enough, I got a friend request from Napstablook (NAPSTABLOOK22), but the request was already rejected before I could press "accept."

Alphys gave me some advice for the next puzzle.

"H… hi…! It's Dr. Alphys. This p-puzzle is kinda… um… timing-based… Y-you see those switches over there? Y-you'll have to press all three of them within 3 seconds. I'll t-try to help you with the rhythm!"

 _Please don't_ …

Predictably, I hit the first two switches, but Alphys interrupted before I could press the third one.

"OK! Now press the third one!..."

After a brief pause, the impassible laser vanished.

"H-h-hey! Looks like you! Only needed to press! Two of them!"

 _Sigh…_

I was an unwilling participant in a conversation between Alphys (ALPHYS) and Papyrus (CoolSkeleton95) about "hot pics" (it made very little sense to me), and I came across the next steam puzzle. After complaining about her screwup through tweets, Alphys asked me to handle the puzzle by myself. Past the puzzle, Alphys started to complain about the differences between Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 and Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 1. I immediately lost interest.

 _(Knowing the mouse might one day hack the computerized safe and get the cheese… It fills you with determination.)_

Further down the road, I heard a voice.

"Hey! You! Stop!"

The two armored guards from before were approaching me.

"We've, like, received an anonymous tip about a human wearing a striped shirt. They told us they were wandering around Hotland right now… I know, sounds scary, huh? Well, just stay chill. We'll bring you someplace safe. OK?"

They started to walk away, but stopped.

"… Huh? What is it, bro? The shirt they're wearing?... like, what about it?"

The two guards looked at me.

"Bro… Are you thinkin… What I'm thinkin? Bummer. This is, like… Mega embarrassing. We, like actually totally have to kill you and stuff."

 _Oh, come on…_

After dodging attacks and playing matchmaker between Royal Guard 1 and Royal Guard 2, they walked off, leaving me alone.

In another dark area, Alphys stopped texting long enough to give me a call.

"Okay, I'm back! A-another dark room, huh? Don't worry! M-my hacking skills have got things covered!"

 _Hacking skills? You probably have a master console that lets you turn everything on and off at your leisure…_

The lights went on, revealing a news show setting with Mettaton wearing a red suit. Alphys pretended to be surprised.

"Are you serious?"

"OHHHHHH YESSS! GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS! AN INTERESTING SITUATION HA ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENT IS OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE! BRAVE CORRESPONDENT! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTH TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WATING FOR YOU!"

 _Only ten? That's odd, seeing that there are no other product brands down here other than MTT. He probably has a monopoly on the entire monster entertainment industry…_

I looked at a copy of Mettaton's latest movie script. It opened up, revealing a black bomb.

… _Really?_

"… OH? WHAT'S THAT INSIDE THE SCRIPT? THAT TICKING SOUND… THAT LIT FUSE… OH MY! LOOKS LIKE I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE MOVIE! WE DEFINITELY HAVE A BOX OFFICE BOMB ON OUR HANDS! AND IT'S ABOUT TO BLAST YOU TO BITS! BUT DON'T GET TOO EXCITED! YOU HAVENT EVEN SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!"

I looked around at the other lit objects.

"OH MY! IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT DOG'S A BOMB! THAT BASKETBALL'S A BOMB! EVEN MY WORDS ARE…!"

Mettaton's _words_ exploded.

"BRAVE CORRESPONDENT… IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS, THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THEN YOU WON'T BE REPORTING "LIVE" ANY LONGER! HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS!"

 _What happened to the tenth viewer?_

"GOOD LUCK, DARLING!"

Once again, Doctor Alphys interrupted to "help" me.

"D-don't worry! I installed a bomb-defusing program on your phone! Use the 'defuse' option when the bomb is in the DEFUSE ZONE! N-now, go get 'em!"

After defusing several small bombs, Mettaton complimented me for my participation.

"WELL DONE, DARLING! YOU'VE DEACTIVATED ALL OF THE BOMBS! IF YOU DIDN'T DEACTIVATE THEM, THE BIB BOMB WOULD HAVE EXPLODED IN TWO MINUTES. NOW IT WON'T EXPLOTE IN TWO MINUTES! INSTEAD IT'LL EXPLODE IN TWO SECONDS! GOODBYE DARLING!"

 _This is so absurd…_

The big bomb did not explode, obviously.

"AH. IT SEEMS THE BOMB ISN'T GOING OFF."

"That's b-because! While you were monologuing… I...!"

Alphys hesitated.

"I f… fix… Um… I ch-change…"

 _Is she having a nervous breakdown?_

"OH NO. YOU DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS."

 _Mettaton's not even trying to be subtle…_

"Yeah! That's what I did!"

"CURSES! IT SEEMS I'VE BEEN FOILED AGAIN! CURSE YOU, HUMAN! CURSE YOU, DR. ALPHYS, FOR HELPING SO MUCH! BUT I DON'T COURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FOR TUNING IN!"

 _He keeps losing followers…_

"UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLING!"

"W-wow… W-we really showed him, huh?... H-hey, I know I was kind of weird at first…"

 _You're being weird right now…_

"But I really think I'm getting more… Uh, more…M-more confident about you!"

 _Sure, doctor… whatever you say…_

"S-so don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot…"

 _He's your friend, isn't he?_

"I-I'll protect you from him! A-and if it really c-came down to it, we could just t-turn… Um, nevermind. Later!

 _I have the feeling that Mettaton isn't just some ordinary robot… he's sentient, after all…_

"Um… I noticed you've been kind of quiet… Are you w-worried about meeting Asgore…?"

 _Aren't you worried about what I might do to the King?_

"… W-well, don't worry, okay? Th-the king is a really nice guy… I'm sure you can talk to him, and… W-with your human soul, you can pass through the barrier!"

 _Papyrus and Undyne already told me this, Alphys…_

"So-so no worrying, OK? J-just forget about it and smile."

 _Something's up… she's trying WAY too hard to downplay this…_

Entering another elevator, I chose a location titled "Left Floor 3." Walking past a spider bake sale (with items priced at 9999G), a monster warned me that the spider monster managing the sale was very creepy, and the spider lady chimed in.

"Welcome to our parlor, dearie~. Interested in some spider pastries? All proceeds go to real spiders~."

I came across some more steam vents.

"Hi, Alphys here! This room is like the room we saw before. There are two puzzles to the north and south. You'll have to solve them both to proceed!... A-Also… I'd like to say! I don't really… Like giving away puzzle solutions. But if you need help, just call me, ok?"

 _She never gave me her phone number…_

"Actually, wait, I have an idea! Let's be friends on UnderNet! Then you can just ping me when you need help!... Wait, we're already friends, aren't we? I signed you up, didn't I? You've been reading my posts the whole time… Well! I hope! You agree with me! About Mew Mew 2!"

 _I don't even like dating sims…_

Talking to some more MTT fans (who liked the "MTT Moments" where Mettaton would either pose or heel-turn), I solved some more shooter puzzles.

"Hey! This um, doesn't have anything to do with guiding you… but… Uhh, hey, would you want to watch a human TV show together?"

 _Does this mean that I'll have to hang out with her, too…?_

"Sometime? It's called, um, M… Mew Mew Kissy Cutie…"

 _I thought that Mew Mew was a dating sim…_

"Sure…"

"R-really!? It's so good! It's, um, my favorite show! It's all about this human girl named Mew Mew who has cat ears! Which humans don't have! S-so she's all sensitive about them! But like… Eventually! She realizes that her ears don't matter! That her friends like her despite the ears! It's really moving-"

I lost track of what she was saying.

"… Uhh, I think you'd really like it! We should watch it! After you get through all this!"

 _She must be pretty desperate if she wants ME, of all people, to be friends with her…_

 _(The smell of cobwebs fills the air… You're filled with determination.)_

Walking into a hallway filled with spiders and cobwebs, I heard the spider lady from earlier.

"Ahuhuhuhu…. Did you hear what they just said? They said a human wearing a striped shirt will come through. I heard that they hate spiders."

I had no choice but to walk across a large stretch of cobwebs.

"I heard that they love to stomp on them. I heard that they like to tear their legs off. I heard..."

The spider monster reappeared, along with several purple spiders.

"... that they're awfully stingy with their money. Ahuhuhuhu... You think your taste is too refined for our pastries, don't you, deary? Ahuhuhu... I disagree with that notion. I think your taste... Is exactly what this next batch needs!"

 _(Muffet traps you!)_

"Now just hold on a second! I am NOT STINGY!"

I showed her the spider donut from the Ruins.

"Huh? Where did you get that...? Did you steal it?"

"NO!"

A GIGANTIC, cupcake-shaped spider lumbered into view.

"Oh, my pet~ It's time to show them what we do with thieves~."

However, one of the spiders grabbed Muffet's attention.

"Huh? A telegram from the spiders in the Ruins? What? They're saying that they saw you, and... you helped donate to their cause! Oh my, this has all been a big misunderstanding. I thought you were someone that hated spiders~. The person who asked for that SOUL... They must have meant a DIFFERENT human in a striped shirt~. Sorry for all the trouble~. Ahuhuhu~. I'll make it up to you~. You can come back here any time... And, for no charge at all... I'll wrap you up and let you play with my pet again! Ahuhuhuhuhuhu~. Just kidding~. I'll SPARE you now~."

 _That was easy… Now if only I didn't feel so tired…_

"Ahuhuhuhu... That was fun! See you again, dearie!"

Muffet and the spiders departed.

Walking past a poster for one of Mettaton's performances, I was interrupted by the robot himself, who was standing in tower with a staircase.

"OH? THAT HUMAN… COULD IT BE…?"

Mettaton was wearing a _blue dress_.

 _Frisk's brain is not here, please leave a message after the beep. Beeeeep._

"… MY ONE TRUE LOVE?"

Mettaton started to clunk down the staircase.

"Oh, my love… Please run away… Monster King… Forbids your stay…"

"Humans must… Live far apart… Even if… It breaks my heart…"

Petals started to fall from the ceiling.

"They'll put you… In the dungeon… It'll suck… And then you'll die a lot…"

"Really sad… You're gonna die… Cry cry cry… So sad it's happening… "

The performance ended.

 _Sorry about that… I had to restart my brain after seeing that dress… What'd I miss?_

"SO SAD. SO SAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON!"

Mettaton pulled out a switch with a red button.

"WELL, TOODLES!"

He pressed the button, and I fell through a trapdoor, landing next to a conveyer belt and a multi-colored tile puzzle, like the one in Snowdin Forest.

"OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL I DO? MY LOVE HAS BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON. A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY PARAMOUR WILL SURELY PERISH! O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE! EACH COLORED TILE HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE, AND THEN YOU MUST FIGHT A MONSTER. RED TILES WILL… ACTUALLY, WAIT A SECOND. DIDN'T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE ABOUT A HUNDRED ROOMS AGO? THAT'S RIGHT. YOU REMEMBER ALL THE RULES, DON'T YOU?"

 _Not exactly…?_

"GREAT… THEN I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME REPEATING THEM! OH, AND YOU'D BETTER HURRY. BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH IN 30 SECONDS…"

A row of flames appeared behind me.

"YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA… HA… HA! MY POOR LOVE! I'M SO FILLED WITH GRIEF, I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING! GOOD LUCK, DARLING!"

Mettaton started to sing an obnoxious song, but I ignored him to focus on the tiles. Despite my best efforts, I only made it halfway through before the timer ran out.

"OOOOH, I'M SO SORRY! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE OUT OF TIME!

The flame jets approached.

"HERE COME THE FLAMES, DARLING!

The flames drew closer.

"THEY'RE CLOSING IN!"

And so on and so on…

"GETTING! CLOSER! OH MY!"

The flames stopped.

"ANY MINUTE NOW!"

Mettaton paused.

"… (ROBOTIC COUGH)"

Eventually, Alphys phoned in to speed things along.

"Watch out! I'll save you! I'm hacking into the firewall right now!"

Finally, the flames vanished, leaving me covered in sweat.

"OH NO! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? FOILED AGAIN BY THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS!"

There was another pause.

"THA-"

"That's right!"

 _Did Mettaton just CUE Alphys!?_

"Come on, Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us… Not as long as we work together! Your puzzle's over… Now go home and leave us alone!"

"PUZZLE? OVER? ALPHYS, DARLING, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT…? DID YOU FORGET WHAT THE GREEN TILES DO?"

 _They force you to fight a monster…_

"THEY MAKE A SOUND, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER."

 _Called it._

"WELL, DARLING… THAT MONSTER…"

 _Is you…_

" _IS ME!"_

 _Why do I even bother…?_

This time around, I looked at the option to "yell."

 _(You yell… Nothing happened.)_

 _Thanks, Narrator…_

Following Alphys's advice, I pressed a yellow button on my phone, _inverting_ my SOUL and turning it _yellow_.

 _A new SOUL mode… I wonder what this one does…_

"Now press [Z]!"

My SOUL could now shoot yellow bullets that bounced off of Mettaton's invulnerable exterior.

"YOU'VE DEFEATED ME! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAT I THOUGH, ETC. WHATEVER!"

Mettaton wheeled away.

 _He's not even pretending at this point…_

"L-looks like you beat him! Y-you did a really great job out there."

 _I've just about had it with this stupidity._

"All thanks to you…"

 _That's why you were being a sycophant, right? To falsely gain my trust?_

"What? Oh no, I mean… You were the one doing everything cool! I just wrote some silly programs for your phone…"

 _And if there's one thing I HATE, it's false humility… That's something that most of the monsters down here have in common…_

"… umm, h-hey, this might sound strange, but… c-can I tell you something?"

"…"

"… B-Before I met you, I d-didn't really… I didn't really like myself very much…"

"…"

"For a long time, I f-felt like a total screw-up. L-like I couldn't do a-anything w-without… W-without ending up letting everyone down."

"…"

"B-but…! Guiding you has made feel… A lot better about myself."

"…"

"So… thanks for letting me help you…"

"…"

"Uhhh, anyways, we're almost to the CORE. It's just past MTT Resort. Come on! Let's finish this!"

 _You can't keep this up forever. I'm not your property, Doctor Alphys…_

In any case, the resort sounded like a good place to rest. Despite taking several breaks, I still felt bruised and annoyed at everyone and everything…

Dragging my feet along, I noticed that the Nice Cream Salesman sold all of his goods to the two Royal Guards from earlier. Ignoring Sans for the moment, I talked to Bratty and Catty (a crocodile monster and a cat monster, they reminded me of the valley girls back home) who had set up shop in an alleyway. Buying an empty gun (+12 ATK, a precision weapon that supposedly used determination as projectiles) and a cowboy hat (+12 DEF, +5 ATK), I learned about the people in Hotland.

The monsters were fans of Mettaton (no surprises there), Mettaton always insisted that being built was his idea (giving me more information on his true identity), Alphys was an honorary big sister to the two female monsters, and that Asgore was (once again) stated to be a nice guy.

"Gods, we're like… SO hyped for the destruction of humanity."

I excused myself at this point.

 _I'll tell you what's going to happen. The minute the monsters start attacking, the human military will just retaliate with planes, guns, and bombs. Worst case scenario, some idiot will launch a nuke and doom us all._

Washing my hands of their blind ignorance, I spoke to Sans.

"hey. i heard you're going to the core. how about grabbing some dinner with me first?"

 _He's probably not going to buy anything, but I probably should listen to what he has to say…_

"…Sure, I could use a rest…"

"great, thanks for treating me."

He led me to the other alley.

"over here. i know a shortcut."

I followed him into the alley, and we emerged in a quiet dining area. We took our seats at a table.

 _Fancy… I've never eaten in a place this expensive before…_

"well, here we are. so. your journey's almost over, huh? you must really wanna go home."

"…Yes."

 _And you're about to say something that will discourage me._

"hey. i know the feeling, buddo."

… _?_

"though… maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you."

 _Oh, don't you start, you lazy comedian… I don't have TIME for this…_

"down here you've already got food, drink, friends… is what you have to do… really worth it?"

 _Up there, I have two actual friends, a comfortable home, and the best mother in the whole world. If you really have to ask, then you will NEVER understand my answer._

Sans turned away from me for a moment.

"… ah, forget it. i'm rootin' for ya, kid."

 _Your actions speak differently, lazybones…_

"hey… let me tell you a story. so i'm a sentry in snowdin forest, right? i sit out there and watch for humans. it's kind of boring. fortunately, deep in the forest… there's this HUGE locked door, and it's perfect for practicing knock know jokes. so one day, i'm knocking 'em out, like usual. i knock on the door and say "knock knock," and suddenly, from the other side… i hear a woman's voice.

"who is there?"

"so, naturally, I respond: "dishes.""

"dishes who?"

"dishes a very bad joke."

"then she just howls with laughter, like it's the best joke she's heard in a hundred years."

"…"

"so, I keep 'em coming, and she keeps laughing. she's the best audience i've ever had. then, after a dozen of 'em, SHE nocks and says… "Knock knock!"

i say "who's there?"

"old lady!"

"old lady who?"

"oh! I did not know you could yodel!"

"wow. needless to say, this woman was extremely good. we kept telling each other jokes for hours. eventually, i had to leave. papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story, but she told me to come by again, and so i did. then i did again, and again. it's a thing now… telling bad jokes through the door. it rules."

"…"

"… one day, though, i noticed she wasn't laughing very much. i asked her what was up. then she told me something strange."

"if a human ever comes through this door… could you please, please promise something?"

At this point, a little voice told me to sit up straight. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach…

"watch over them, and protect them, will you not?"

"now, i hate making promises, and this woman, i don't even know her name. but… someone who sincerely likes bad jokes… has an integrity you can't say "no" to."

Sans's tone was pleasant. _Too_ pleasant… my instincts were on high alert.

"do you get what i'm saying?"

My heart started to pound in my chest.

"that promise i made to her… you know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything?"

 _Please… don't…_

Sans closed his eyes.

"… buddy."

He opened his eyes. His eye sockets went dark, giving him the appearance of the Grim Reaper himself.

"… **You'd be dead where your stand**."

All I could do was stare in horror, as Sans the skeleton gave me a genuine death threat.

After that deafening silence, Sans tried to downplay his last statement by turning his eyes back on.

"… hey, lighten up, bucko! i'm just _joking_ with you. besides… haven't i done a _great_ job protecting you? i mean, look at yourself. you haven't died a single time. _that's right_ , isn't it? well, chalk it up to my _great_ skills."

There was another pause. Sans was perfectly calm and cheerful.

"heh… well, that's all. take care of yourself, kid. 'cause someone really _cares_ about you."

He walked away.

 _Who does he think he's fooling? Besides, Toriel said she cared, but then she SET ME ON FIRE! My mom would never…_

Slowly, I came to a horrible realization. My breath started come in short bursts, and I began to shake uncontrollably. A few drops of water fell from my eyes.

 _I think I get it now… I HATE IT HERE. I HATE the monsters who have been absolutely HORRIBLE to me, and I HATE the fact that everyone is STILL playing the victim card!_

My tears started to well up…

"I JUST WANT TO GO HOME! I DIDN'T WANT ANY OF THIS! I WANT MY MOM!"

With my tears gushing, I buried my head in my arms, crying like the foolish fourteen-year old I really was.

But nobody came… until a blue bird monster cautiously approached me.

"Excuse me, are you all right?"

I slowly looked up, seeing that the monster was rather similar to Snowdrake.

"I'm sorry… I'm just having a bad day. No need to trouble yourself."

Despite this, the kind monster gave me a few spare tissues, which I awkwardly used to dry my face.

"Not to be rude, but why did you decide to help me?"

The monster smiled softly.

"I'm the resort comedian. I'm very funny. People laugh at my jokes. Now, my son. You remind me of him. He wants to be a comedian like his fathah. But his jokes. Aren't funny. He tells these awful puns. He's an embarrassment to our family. Ha ha ha ha…"

The father's face drooped.

"That's not funny. Since his mothah passed on, he couldn't stand. Living at home anymore. So, he ran away. I haven't seen him since. I'm a terrible fathah. Ha ha ha ha…"

He had an expression of absolute despair on his beak.

"That's not funny."

… _I'm not the only one who has problems... I promised Mom that I would work on being less judgmental, and I can start with this worried parent…_

"I don't think you're a bad father."

The monster looked up in surprise.

"I've known parents who pretend that their children never existed, but I can tell that you're really worried about your son. Do you think that's how a terrible father would act?"

The worried parent was bewildered. As I walked away, I had one last thing to cheer him up.

"Besides, I met your son, Snowdrake, while I was near Snowdin Town. He hangs out with a bunch of rowdy teens, but otherwise, he's doing okay. He was really happy when I laughed at his snow puns."

As I left, I noticed that the monster had a small smile on his face…

Moving forward, I took a moment to gather my thoughts.

 _First of all, Sans is clearly a jerk. He promised Toriel that he would watch over me, but he didn't even lift a fingerbone while I fought for my life._

 _In addition, I still feel conflicted about Alphys. Something about her doesn't add up, and it's not just about her charade with Mettaton, either._

… _That's enough moping for now. Whining won't help me get home. Besides, I'm almost done. Just a bit further…_

Walking into the main lobby of MTT Resort, I walked past water fountain with a statue of Mettaton that was spouting water onto the floor.

 _(The relaxing atmosphere of this hotel… it fills you with determination.)_

 _At least I still have you, Narrator…_

Checking the nearby concession stand, I met "Burgerpants," a sad, cat monster who hated his job. He gave me some romantic advice…

"Never interact with attractive people. Unless you're "one of them," they're just gonna take advantage of you."

He also gave me life advice…

"I'm getting on in years, so let me give you some advice, little buddy. You've still got time! Don't live like me! I'm 19 years old and I've already wasted my entire life."

Burgerpants mentioned that his last hope was to make it to the Surface and start a new life. I thanked him for the advice, bought some Starfaits (sugary parfaits), and left. As I walked into the CORE, I saw two shadowy monsters up ahead. Alphys had plenty to say.

"Huh? Who are they? N-nobody else is s-supposed to be here… Oh well! We can't worry about that now!"

I approached an elevator.

"Ready? This is it! Take the elevator up to the top of the CORE!"

I checked the elevator, but it was broken.

"What? The elevator should be working… W-well then! Let's go to the left!"

After seeing that the right path was a dead end, I went to the left.

"Okay, you should be able to make it through here…"

The shadowy monsters quickly approached me.

"W-watch out!"

 _Thank you, Captain Obvious…_

After using my stick to pacify Madjick (a magician monster), Alphys started to panic.

"Th-that was close… Wh… why are there so many monsters here? I mean… It's no problem, r-r-right? W-w-we've just got to keep heading forward! ..."

 _You tell me… we both know who's REALLY in charge here…_

Further on, I came across a red switch and an impassible laser.

"Looks like you can't proceed until you hit the switch. B-but, those lasers will activate when you do. Ummm… Looks like they're come in this order: Orange, Orange, Blue. G-got it? Move until the third one!"

However, the order was _blue_ , _blue_ , _orange_ , catching me off guard and dealing some damage.

… _Ow._

"Oh my god, are you okay?"

 _No… but I REALLY appreciate the concern…_

"I… I'm sorry, I gave you the wrong order… E-everything's fine okay? L-let's just keep heading to the right."

 _Forgive me for being skeptical…_

Alphys continued to give me "helpful advice."

"A crossroads… Uhh… Uhhh… Tr… Try heading to the right!"

Alphys immediately changed her mind.

"W-wait! No, I think you should h-head up!"

 _Ugggh…_

There were two more monsters lying in ambush. I spared Knight Knight (a gargantuan armored guard) with a lullaby.

"Sorry, I… I… I thought that… Let's try the right path instead."

 _Are you doing okay? You seem… confused._

I came across the next obstacle.

"M… more lasers… Okay, I… I won't mess around this time."

 _Wait for it…_

"I'll just deactivate the lasers and let you through… They're… They're not turning off… I can't turn them off, I… I-i-it's okay! I have this under control! I'm going to turn off the power for that whole node. Then you can walk across…"

The power was shut down.

"Okay, go!"

I made it halfway across before an "incident" occurred.

"W-WAIT! STOP!"

The power turned itself back on, leaving me stranded in a set of blue lasers.

… _Called it._

"Th-the power… It's turning itself back on. D-damn it… Th-this isn't supposed to… I… I'm gonna turn it off again. When it turns off, move a little, and then STOP. OK? Y-you won't get h-h-hurt."

 _That would be reassuring… If I actually trusted you with my life…_

After I cleared the laser field, Alphys was nervously sweating.

"S-see? I've got everything under control. Everything's under control!"

I came another crossroads.

"OK! Y-you should… You should… I don't know?"

 _Damn it, Alphys…_

"This doesn't look like my map at all… I'm sorry… I… I… I have to go."

 _Coward…_

 _(The air is filled with the smell of ozone… it fills you with determination.)_

Along the way, I found a "Glamburger" (a burger with edible sequins) and 100G in a container. I also encountered an Astigmatism (an eye monster), a Whimsalot (an armored Whimsun), and a Final Froggit (a relative of the Froggits in the Ruins). After withstanding their magic assault, I found myself in front of an elevator and a winged archway.

 _(Behind this door must be the elevator to the King's castle. You're filled with determination.)_

Passing under the archway, Mettaton was patiently waiting for my arrival.

"OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLING. IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE "MALFUNCTIONING" ROBOT... NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME."

 _I figured as much…_

"AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON... THAT SHE'S NOT."

 _These distractions were annoying, but she probably could have done worse to me…_

"AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR "BATTLE," SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO "DEACTIVATE" ME, "SAVING" YOU ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY. SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE. YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE. ... OR NOT."

… _?_

"YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW... WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"

 _Aren't you contradicting yourself, here? You say you don't want to harm me, but you're going to harm me anyway…_

There was a loud clank behind me. I heard Alphys banging her hands.

"H-hey! Wh-wh-what's going on!? Th-th-the door just locked itself!"

"SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD! REAL DRAMA! REAL ACTION! REAL BLOODSHED! ON OUR NEW SHOW... "ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!"

 _Go ahead and try, tin can. Underestimate me, and I'll blast you to bits!_

 _(Mettaton attacks!)_

I look at the "burn" action.

 _(This is probably what you'll do if things continue in this manner.)_

 _Whose side are you on!?_

"YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU! THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!"

I tried firing some bullets at him.

"THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER WON'T WORK ON ME, DARLING. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS!? LISTEN, DARLING. I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU'RE WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL. AND WITH YOUR SOUL, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY. BUT IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION! THEN USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER... AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING! HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS... NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME! GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO, WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!"

 _If you go through with this, you're screwed. Humanity will never accept a child murderer as an idol…_

Alphys called to give me one last tip.

"U... uh... I can't see what's going on in there, but... D-d-don't give up, okay!? Th... there's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton... It's... um... it's... This is a work-in-progress, so don't judge it too hard... But, you know how Mettaton always faces f-f-forward? That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-s-so if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around... um... And, umm... press th-th-th-the switch... He'll be... um... He'll be... Vulnerable. Well, g-g-gotta go!"

 _There's not much to lose at this point…_

"Hey, Mettaton! There's a mirror behind you!"

Mettaton fell for my obvious lie, and he turned around.

"OH? A MIRROR? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE! HMM... I DON'T SEE IT... WHERE IS IT...?"

I flipped the giant switch on his back.

"DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?"

Mettaton started to shake. There was a white burst of light, and a sultry male voice.

"Oh… yes!"

Spotlights lit up a stage with smoke clouds, and I saw a humanoid silhouette.

"Ohhhh my. If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude... Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments..."

The smoke cleared, revealing a humanoid robot with long legs, a humanoid face, and slick black hair.

 _So, what? Does this make you the non-pedophilic version of Michael Jackson?_

"ABSOULTELY beautiful!"

 _(Mettaton EX makes his premiere!)_

 _(Check-Mettaton EX: ATK 47 DEF 47 His weak point is his heart-shaped core_.)

 _(Ratings: 4000)_

I looked at a nearby ratings count. It was at 4000 and dropping.

 _Hmmm… my intuition tells me that this rating count is the key to getting past him… Oh well, let's give everyone a show to remember…_

"Hey, Mettaton! You want to dance?"

I beckoned with my free hand.

"Let's dance!"

 _(Ratings: 4500) (+500 Dramatics)_

Mettaton grinned.

"Lights! Camera! Action!"

Mettaton tried a roundhouse kick, but I ducked under him.

 _(Ratings: 5000) (+500 Violence)_

I ate a Starfait, healing myself up.

 _(Ratings: 5500) (+500 Brand Food)_

 _This reminds me of that field trip the arcade! I got the 3_ _rd_ _highest score at Dance Dance Revolution._

"Drama! Romance! Blood-shed!"

Some small, rectangular Mettatons glided down on umbrellas, tossing heart projectiles at me. I blasted them apart with the toy gun.

 _(Ratings: 6000) (+500 Action)_

I posed with a confident grin.

"You're pretty confident, but the heroes always win!"

 _(Ratings: 6500) (+500 Drama)_

Mettaton winked.

"I'm the idol everyone craves!"

Bombs rained from the ceiling, and I shot them out of the sky.

 _(Ratings: 6500) (+500 Action)_

I tossed the stick in his direction. He caught it with his teeth, winked for the audience, and tossed it back.

 _(Ratings: 7500) (+1000 Flair)_

"Smile for the camera!"

More bombs, and more mini-Mettatons.

 _(Ratings: 8000) (+500 Action)_

Mettaton interrupted my next turn.

"Oooh, it's time for a pop quiz! I hope you brought a keyboard... This one's an essay question!"

 _(What do you love most about Mettaton?)_

"Your legs!"

 _(Ratings: 8500) (+500 Blatantly Correct Answer)_

I kept up the pressure.

"Underestimate me at your own peril!"

 _(Ratings: 9000) (+500 Drama)_

Mettaton covered his eyes, playfully.

"Your essay really showed everyone your heart. Why don't I show you mine?"

Mettaton's white heart appeared, alongside several electric bullets. I laughed, caught up in the surrealism.

"It's high noon!"

I shot several bullets, hitting his heart and blowing Mettaton's arms off.

 _(Ratings: 9500) (+500 Violence)_

Despite this, Mettaton was as confident as ever.

"Who needs arms with legs like these?"

Mettaton summoned a laser disco ball. I ducked between the lasers and shot the ball until it burst into dozens of glimmering pieces. Mettaton's legs blew off as well.

 _(Ratings: 10000) (+500 Style)_

Mettaton paused. He grinned, noticing the high rating count we had achieved.

"OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS! THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD! WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME... BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER! LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!"

The phone rang.

"HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR LAST SHOW?"

"…oh... hi... mettaton... I really liked watching your show..."

Mettaton stopped smiling.

"my life is pretty boring, but... seeing you on the screen... brought excitement to my life... vicariously. I can't tell, but... I guess this is the last episode...?"

Mettaton closed his eyes in shame.

"I'll miss you... mettaton... oh... I didn't mean to talk so long... oh..."

Mettaton suddenly opened his eyes.

"NO, WAIT! WAIT, BL… H… THEY ALREADY HUNG UP…"

 _That was Napstablook, wasn't it? Mettaton's the cousin who left to be a star…_

The entertainer's voice wavered.

"... I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!"

He was surprised by what he heard.

"Mettaton, your show made us so happy!"

"Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you!"

"Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart!"

He frowned for a moment.

"AH... I... I SEE..."

He smiled, weakly.

"... EVERYONE... THANK YOU SO MUCH."

Mettaton looked up at me.

"... DARLING. PERHAPS... IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE A WHILE. HUMANS ALREADY HAVE STARS AND IDOLS, BUT MONSTERS... THEY ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT... THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK. I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT COULD NEVER BE FILLED. SO... I THINK I'LL HAVE TO DELAY MY BIG DEBUT. BESIDES. YOU'VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG. PERHAPS... EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE. I'M SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY."

He closed his eyes again.

"HA, HA... IT'S ALL FOR THE BEST, ANYWAY. THE TRUTH IS, THIS FORM'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS... INEFFICIENT. IN A FEW MOMENTS, I'LL RUN OUT OF BATTERY POWER, AND... WELL…"

Mettaton looked up again, beaming with pride.

"I'LL BE ALRIGHT. KNOCK 'EM DEAD, DARLING. AND EVERYONE... THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!"

Mettaton's eyes went dim, and Alphys finally opened the door.

"I... I managed to open the lock! Are you two... Oh my god. Mettaton! Mettaton, are you..."

She checked on her old friend.

"... Thank GOD, it's just the batteries. Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have... I would have... I m-mean, h-hey, it's no problem, you know? He's just a robot, if you messed it up, I c-could always... J-just build another."

 _That's not really true. He's actually a ghost monster like Napstablook, isn't he?_

"... Why don't you go on ahead?"

* * *

While walking down the final stretch of the CORE, Alphys caught up with me.

"S… Sorry about that! L-let's k-keep going!"

We walked in silence for a few moments.

"S-so you're about to meet Asgore, h-huh? You must be… Y-you must be… Pr… pretty excited about all that, huh?"

"…"

"You'll f-f-finally… You'll finally get to go home!"

"…"

I approached the elevator. Alphys panicked.

"W… Wait!"

I looked at her, waiting for her to _get to the point_.

"I mean, um… I… I was just going to… um… Say goodbye, and…"

She turned away.

"I can't take this anymore."

 _...?_

"I… Iied to you. A human SOUL isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone."

 _...!_

"It takes at least a human soul… _And a monster soul_ … If you want to go home… You'll have to take his soul. You'll have to _kill Asgore_."

I looked at her, dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry."

She rushed off, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

 _Did she just tell me to… commit regicide?_

Hesitantly, I took the elevator to Asgore's castle…


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: "New Home"**

After the elevator ride, I found myself in a grayscale hallway.

I saw another yellow star.

 _(…)_

 _So, here we are._

Walking through several hallways, I came across a gray house that was identical to Toriel's house.

 _(…)_

 _I'm about to meet King Asgore Dreemurr, the benevolent king who is poised to attack humanity…_

As I walked through the house, some monsters appeared, and they began to speak.

"A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins."

"Injured by its fall, the human called out for help."

"…"

I walked past a trash can filled with crumpled-up recipes for butterscotch-cinnamon pie, grabbing a green key on the kitchen countertop.

"Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call."

"He brought the human back to the castle."

"…"

Inside one of the bedrooms, I came across a worn dagger (+15 ATK), and heart locket engraved with the phrase, "Best Friends Forever." (+15 DEF).

"Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings."

"The King and Queen treated the human child as their own."

"The underground was full of hope."

"…"

I grabbed the other green key, which was lying on top of a drawer. I also examined the hallway mirror. My hair was messy, my shirt was torn, and there were dark circles under my eyes.

 _(Despite everything, it's still you.)_

"…"

As I walked down the stairs, the monsters continued their story.

"Then, one day…"

"The human became very ill."

"…"

I continued to walk.

"The sick human had only one request."

"To see the flowers from their village."

"But there was nothing we could do."

"…"

"The next day."

"The next day."

"The human _died_."

"…"

"Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's SOUL."

"He transformed into a being with incredible power."

"…"

"With the human SOUL, Asriel crossed through the barrier."

"He carried the human's body into the sunset."

"Back to the village of the humans."

"…"

"Asriel reached the center of the village."

"There, he found a bed of golden flowers."

"He carried the human onto it."

"…"

"Suddenly, screams rang out."

"The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body."

"They thought that he had _killed_ the child."

"…"

"The humans _attacked_ him with everything they had."

"He was struck with blow after blow."

"Asriel had the power to _destroy_ them all."

"…"

"But…"

"Asriel did _not_ fight back."

"…"

"Clutching the human…"

"Asriel _smiled_ , and walked away."

"…"

"Wounded, Asriel stumbled home."

"He entered the castle and collapsed."

"His dust spread across the garden."

"…"

"The kingdom fell into despair."

"The king and queen had lost two children in one night."

"The humans had once again taken _everything_ from us."

"…"

"The king decided it was time to _end_ our suffering."

"Every human who falls down here must _die_."

"With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier _forever_."

"…"

" _It's not long now_."

" _King Asgore will give us hope_."

" _King Asgore will let us go_."

" _King Asgore will save us all_."

"…"

"You should be _smiling_ , too."

"Aren't you _excited_?"

"Aren't you _happy_?"

A small Froggit hopped up to me.

" _You're going to be free._ "

"…"

The monsters departed, and I walked into a checkered hall, with the sun shining through stained glass windows.

… _I don't care how many sob stories you tell me. I will not martyr myself just so you monsters can get revenge for the sins of the past!_

Taking a deep breath, I walked across the hall, where Sans was waiting for the final time. His eyes were closed, and I heard bells ringing in the distance…

"So, you finally made it. The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together… You will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now. You will be _judged_. You will be _judged_ for your every action. You will be _judged_ for every EXP you've earned. What's EXP? It's an acronym. It stands for " **execution points**." A quantifying the _pain_ you have inflicted on others. When you _kill_ someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for " **Level of Violence**." A way of measuring someone's _capacity to hurt_. The more you _kill_ , the _easier_ it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will _hurt_. The more easily you can bring yourself to _hurt_ others…"

The skeleton opened his eyes, and continued. He almost seemed to be _proud_ …

"… but you. you _never_ gained any LOVE. 'course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naïve. just that you kept a certain _tenderness_ in your heart. no matter the struggle or hardships you faced… you _strived_ to do the right thing. you _refused_ to hurt anyone. even when you ran away, you did it with a _smile_. you never gained LOVE, but you gained _love_. does that make sense? maybe not… now. you're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. your actions here… will determine the fate of the entire world. if you refuse to fight... asgore will take your soul and _destroy_ _humanity_. but if you kill asgore and go home… _monsters will remain trapped underground_. what will you do? well, if i were you, i would have thrown in the towel by now. but you didn't get this far by _giving up_ , did you? that's right. you have something called " _determination_." so as long as you hold on… so as long as you do what's in your heart… i believe you can do the right thing. alright. we're all counting on you kid. _good luck_."

After giving his judgement, the skeleton walked behind a pillar, taking another shortcut. Through the hall, I came to another yellow star.

 _(…)_

 _I have no idea what I'm supposed to do here. I'm not a miracle worker!_

 _Sigh…_

… _No, I can't doubt myself now. I'll just have to look for a third option._

 _My name is Frisk Caraway, and I believe that destiny is rigged, but I will never let that stop me._

 _If there's no path ahead, then I'll just carve out a new path with my bare hands..._

… _and I'm filled with determination._

Along a side path, I found seven coffins line up. The nearest coffin had a red heart symbol, and the name "Chara" was on the inscription. It was empty…

Walking into the throne room, I heard some birds singing.

I noticed a bed of golden flowers, and a large goat monster with golden hair and two large horns. He was wearing a purple cape, yellow shoulder pauldrons, and a golden crown. He was also holding a watering can.

"Dum dee dum…"

"Ahem…"

"Oh... is someone there?"

He had a deep voice.

"Just a moment! I've almost finished watering these flowers."

The boss monster tipped over the can, gently spraying water over the flowerbed.

"Here we are."

The king turned to face me.

"Howdy! How can I…"

He noticed my face, along with my deadpan look of annoyance.

Asgore's face widened up in shock, and he backpedaled.

"Oh."

"Yep…"

King Dreemurr paused for a long moment.

"… I so badly want to say, "would you like a cup of tea?" But… You know how it is."

"Of course. I wish I didn't."

Asgore walked to the side, and stopped.

"Nice day today, huh. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming… Perfect weather for a game of catch."

"... Yes, it is."

More silence.

"… You know what we must do. When you are ready, come into the next room."

"Okay."

He walked away.

I briefly looked a throne that was covered with a thick white cloth.

 _(…)_

 _He's pleasant, but that's not the point. He's going to do his best to kill me, and I'll have to do my best to stop him before he leads his people into a bloodbath…_

In the next room, Asgore tried to _reassure me_.

"How tense. Just think of it like… A visit to the dentist."

He walked onward.

 _Does that help you sleep at night, King Asgore? Knowing what happened to the six other humans?_

I followed, dubious of his false reassurance.

"Are you ready?"

"What do you think?"

"If you are not, I understand. I am not ready either."

"No one ever is…"

He walked through an archway, with the familiar Delta Rune above it.

 _(…)_

 _I still haven't thought of anything…_

 _Well… my mom always says something about this._

… " _If you have nothing to lose, wing it, and hope for a miracle."_

 _I hope that Sans was telling the truth about my determination…_

After preparing my healing items (several Starfaits, and the slice of Butterscotch-Cinnamon pie), I continued forward.

In the final room of New Home, I was staggered by a huge, black space that was periodically lit up by bursts of white light.

"Is this…?"

"This is the barrier. This is what keeps us all trapped underground."

"It's… something…"

"If… If by chance you have any unfinished business… Please do what you must."

"Not really. I've done everything I can to prepare for this."

"I see… This is it then."

The king turned to face me.

"Ready?"

"You have to ask?"

Asgore closed his eyes.

Seven glass containers rose up from the floor. Six of them contained souls (light blue, orange, dark blue, purple, green, and yellow). The last jar was empty.

 _(A strange light fills the room. Twilight is shining through the barrier. It seems you journey is finally over. You're filled with DETERMINATION.)_

 _That's funny… I've never been more uncertain in my life._

"Human…"

He briefly raised his eyes to meet mine.

"It was nice to meet you."

He bowed his head again.

"Goodbye."

Suddenly, King Asgore whipped out a massive red trident, and shattered my MERCY option, taking away the ability to spare or flee.

 _(Asgore attacks!)_

 _(Check-Asgore: 80 ATK 80 DEF)_

… _This is King Asgore Dreemurr, ruler of the Underground. He's reluctant, but fact are facts. If he defeats me, everyone will suffer, so I have to beat him!_

Before I resorted to using my gardening knife, I tried one last thing to even the odds.

"King Asgore, I don't want to fight you…"

His hands trembled for a moment.

"Mr. Dreemurr, I don't want to fight you!"

His breathing shook.

"KING ASGORE DREEMURR! I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU!"

 _(Recollection flashes in his eyes… Asgore's ATTACK dropped! Asgore's DEFENSE dropped!)_

 _That's probably the most I'm going to get out of him…_

Steeling all of my pain and frustration, I swung my knife, dealing a moderate amount of damage.

He launched fireballs, similar to the attacks used by Toriel. I was slightly injured, and I ate the Butter-Scotch-Cinnamon Pie to heal myself.

(The smell reminded Asgore of something. Asgore's ATTACK down! Asgore's DEFENSE down!)

 _So, he knows Toriel. Interesting…_

This time, Asgore's flashed blue, and blue, telegraphing his attacks.

I let his trident pass through me, harmlessly.

I swung my knife again, denting his armor.

More flame pillars.

I swung a third time, leaving a scratch on his fur.

Blue, Orange, Blue.

Stop, Move, Stop.

I swung a fourth time, inflicting a small wound.

He retaliated with circles of flame.

I swung a fifth time, dodging his attacks.

Orange, Blue, Blue.

Move, Stop, Stop.

I swung a sixth time, using a horizontal strike.

I weaved through rivers of fire.

I swung a seventh time, jabbing at his breastplate.

Orange, Blue, Orange.

Move, Stop, Move.

I swung an eight time, drawing dust, not blood.

He used homing fireballs.

I swung a ninth time, leaving a nasty gash on his arm.

Orange, Blue, Blue, Orange.

Move, Stop, Stop, Move.

I swung a tenth time, drawing more dust.

He launched large fireballs that blocked out the sun.

With my last strike, he faltered, collapsing from the extent of his injuries. His HP was reduced to a small sliver, but I had made sure to withhold lethal force.

After a pause, Asgore spoke.

"Ah… So that is how it is…"

I waited for him to continue.

"I remember the day after my son died. The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans. In a fit of anger, I declared war. I said that I would _destroy_ any human that came here. I would use their souls to become _godlike_... and _free_ us from this terrible prison. Then, I would _destroy_ humanity... And let monsters rule the surface, in _peace_. Soon, the people's hopes returned. My wife, however, became _disgusted_ with my actions. She left this place, never to be seen again. Truthfully... I do not want _power_. I do not want to _hurt_ anyone. I just wanted everyone to have _hope_... I _cannot_ take this any longer. _I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child_. Please... Young one... This war has gone on _long enough_. You have the power... _Take my soul, and leave this cursed place_."

I saw two options before me. FIGHT, or MERCY. After a moment of thinking, I made my decision.

"King Asgore Dreemurr. I know what's at stake… but despite everything, I don't want to kill you."

"After everything I have done to hurt you..."

Asgore opened his eyes.

You would rather stay down here and suffer..."

He frowned.

"… Than live happily on the surface?

He smiled softly, and he opened his eyes.

"Human... I promise you... For as long as you remain here... My wife and I will take care of you as best we can. We can sit in the living room, telling stories... Eating butterscotch pie... We could be like... Like a _family_..."

However, Asgore paused, then frowned.

"No. That's just a fantasy, isn't it?"

He looked up at me again.

"Young one, when I look at you... I'm reminded of the human that fell here long ago... You have the same feeling of hope in your eyes. There is an ancient prophecy among our people... One day, a savior will come from the heavens. ...I believe the one that was prophesied was you. Somewhere in the world outside... There must be a way to free us from our prison."

He frowned again, with a look of sadness in his eyes.

"It pains me to give you this responsibility, but... Please. Take my soul... and seek the truth."

He impaled himself with his trident, leaving me speechless. Despite this, he still had the strength for one final sentence.

"Ha... ha... I'm sorry... I couldn't give you a simple, happy ending... But I believe your freedom... is what my son..."

He looked up one more time. I could see the hope in his eyes…

"...what _Asriel_ would have wanted."

Asgore's body crumbled to dust in front of my eyes, and his white soul floated in front of me.

… _No, this can't be happening…_

… _Oh god, he's really dead…_

… _And everyone's going to blame me for it…_

Desperate, I considered grabbing his SOUL before it shattered, but before I could reach for it, it was shattered by a ring of white bullets. Flowey the Flower revealed himself, with a condescending look in his eyes.

"You IDIOT. You haven't learned a thing. In this world…"

Flowey drew the six human souls to his body.

"It's KILL or BE killed."

As everything faded to white, I could hear him cackling…


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: "At the End of Everything…"**

I found myself in the black void again.

 _Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: Humans and Monsters._ _One day, THEY ALL DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE._

I found a screen after that weird proclamation.

 _(Flowey LV9999 9999:99 My World)_

… _This is going to suck._

The only options were "Continue" and "Restart," but the Restart option was broken. "Continue" was the only thing I could pick.

After that, I walked forward, reaching the panel with my name on it. It was smashed to pieces.

 _(File erased.)_

I found myself standing in front of Flowey's ENOURMOUS face. It flickered.

"Flowey, what did you DO…?"

"Howdy! It's me, FLOWEY."

He stuck his tongue out.

"FLOWEY the FLOWER!"

The weed grinned.

"I owe you some HUGE thanks. You really did a number on that old fool. Without you, I NEVER could have gotten past him."

He mimicked Asgore's kind smile.

"But now, with YOUR help..."

The mockery's eyes vanished.

"He's DEAD."

Flowey shifted back to his default appearance (the one with the large grin).

"And I'VE got the human SOULS!"

More demonic laughter…

"Boy! I've been empty for so long... It feels great to have a SOUL inside me again."

More tongue sticking…

"Mmmm, I can feel them wriggling... Awww, you're feeling left out, aren't you?"

"NO!"

Flowey ignored me.

"Well, that's just perfect. After all, I only have six souls. I still need one more... Before I become GOD."

 _That's it. I am so screwed…_

"And then, with my newfound powers..."

He shifted to Toriel's face.

"Monsters."

He shifted to my face.

"Humans."

He shifted to an alien face with three rotating eyes… wait, what?

"Everyone."

He shifted to a shadowy face.

"I'll show them all the REAL meaning of this world."

More screeching.

"Oh, and forget about escaping to your old SAVE FILE. It's gone FOREVER."

 _SAVE file? Is that what determination grants me? The ability to save video game files?_

"But don't worry. Your old friend FLOWEY... Has worked out a replacement for you!"

Flowey bared a large row of jagged teeth.

"I'll SAVE over your own death. So, you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces... Over, and over, and over..."

 _That's it. He's going DOWN._

I stepped forward, with the heart locket around my neck, and the gardening knife in my right hand.

"...what? Do you really think you can stop ME?"

"You have to ask, weed?"

He shifted back to his smug grin.

"Hee hee hee...You really ARE an idiot."

Flowey's face faded away, and I saw the six souls. They were arranged in a hexagon. A huge, black silhouette floated into view. Flowey had turned himself into a giant, hideous plant abomination.

"What the…"

The abomination shrieked with the voice of a hundred demons.

Flowey flung waves of crossed bullets at me, and I was barely able to dodge them.

I swung at him, but my knife only inflicted ONE point of damage.

 _Crap… I can't beat him like this. He HAS to have some sort of weakness… I need to outlast him!_

Flowey flung more bullets, injuring me.

Things weren't looking too good, but something happened.

Flowey faded away, leaving the light blue soul and a field of toy knives. After some more dodging, I was desperate.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Suddenly, the knives turned into healing bandages, and I saw a pale, redheaded girl wearing a ribbon. She smiled.

"We're here to help. Wait for an opening!"

She faded away, and Flowey returned.

 _What was that about?_

Flowey summoned some flamethrowers, forcing me to bob and weave through the flames. He also summoned a huge laser, causing me to dive for safety.

The next soul was the orange one. After avoiding the white gloves, I called out.

"Is anyone out there!?"

The white gloves turned into healing green gloves, and I locked eyes with short kid with an orange bandana. He slammed his fists together.

"Keep it up, dude! You've got this!"

The kid faded away.

 _Thanks, dude._

After that, Flowey summoned bullet circles and vine bursts. I weathered the onslaught, and prepared for the third soul (the dark blue one).

I weaved through a row of ballerina shoes, and I called out again.

"Little help, please?"

The shoes retracted, revealing healing musical notes and a dark-skinned girl with a stern expression. She crossed her arms, and nodded."

"Stay strong. Flowey's got nothing on you."

She faded way.

 _Thanks for the vote of confidence._

Flowey fired flies out of a Venus flytrap, along with huge bombs.

After dodging some negative words from some notebooks (courtesy of the purple soul), I was a little annoyed.

"I need some help!"

The words changed into healing positive words, and I saw a curly-haired bow with glasses and a cheeky expression. He grinned.

"We're all here with you! You're over halfway there!"

He faded away.

 _See you on the other side._

Flowey fired finger guns and giant, bouncing snakes.

Next up, I avoid flames coming from some frying pans (that belonged to the green soul).

"You're still here, right?"

The flames turned into healing eggs, and I met a blond girl with an apron and a sad expression. She frowned.

"Murder isn't the answer… he's gone too far this time…"

She faded away.

 _You sound… disappointed._

Desperate, Flowey tried to use _save scumming_ to trap me in his vines, but he couldn't finish me off.

The last soul was the yellow one.

After ducking under bullets fired by the toy gun, I called out one more time.

"Please, help me!"

The toy gun started to fire healing clovers, and I came face to face with a boy my age. He tipped his cowboy hat.

"Time's up. Let's end this!"

He faded away.

 _All for one and one for all!_

The six souls surrounded me, showering me in healing bullets that revitalized me, before departing. Flowey faded back into view, but something was different.

 _(Flowey's Defense dropped to 0!)_

 _Now's my chance!_

I repeatedly swung at the vile weed, whittling away his HP. He launched an unrelenting barrage of attacks, but the six souls gave me enough healing bullets to survive.

Blow after blow, the tables had turned, and the murderous weed couldn't keep up. With one large strike, I depleted all of his HP.

"No... NO! This CAN'T be happening! You... YOU..."

He loaded a save file, restoring his HP to full. He had an obnoxious grin on his face.

"You IDIOT."

 _Oh, come on…_

Flowey repeatedly shattered my soul with his save files, ending with an inescapable ring of bullets.

"Hee hee hee. Did you REALLY think... You could defeat ME!? I am the GOD of this world. And YOU? You're HOPELESS. Hopeless and alone... Golly, that's right! Your WORTHLESS friends... can't save you now. Call for help. I dare you. Cry into the darkness! "Mommy! Daddy!" "Somebody help!" See what good it does you!"

 _Odd choice of words…_

"A little help here…?"

"But nobody came. Boy! What a shame! Nobody else... Is gonna get to see you DIE!"

The bullets closed in, but they _healed_ me. Flowey paused.

"What? How'd you...? Well, I'll just…"

 _(LOAD FAILED.)_

"Wh... Where are my powers!?"

 _You tell me, genius._

The six human souls suddenly appeared.

"The souls...? What are they doing?"

The souls rapidly circled Flowey. He started to shudder violently.

"NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME! STOP! STOP IT! STOOOOPPPP!"

Everything faded to white…

* * *

When my vision cleared, I saw Flowey, who was back to his regular form. Once again, I had the option of FIGHT or MERCY.

Sighing, I sat down, and began.

"My dad was a soldier."

"... What are you doing? Do you really think I've learned _anything_ from this? _No_."

"He fought in a war between humans."

" _Sparing_ me won't change anything. _Killing_ me is the only way to end this."

"He _died_ in that war."

Flowey raised his head.

"If you let me live... _I'll come back_."

"I wasn't born yet."

" _I'll kill you_."

"I never got the chance to know him."

He opened his eyes.

" _I'll kill everyone_."

"My mom misses him, though."

" _I'll kill everyone you love_."

"She has depression."

Flowey paused for a moment.

"..."

"She takes medicine for it."

"...?"

"She has to force herself out of bed in the morning."

The flower glared.

"... _why_?"

"She cries whenever she thinks I'm not listening."

He raised his eyebrows, then frowned.

"... why are you being... so _nice_ to me?"

"If I ever _kill_ someone…"

"I can't understand."

"More people will end up like my mother."

"I can't _understand_!"

"So, I won't _kill_ , but I won't _be killed_ , either. That's a _promise_."

" _I just can't understand..._ "

Flowey ran away, in tears.

 _So, he can feel something, after all…_

I stood up, and walked through the last archway.

In that black void, I saw some weird words: "UNDERTALE," By Toby Fox.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing.

"… heya."

"… Sans? How did you get this number?"

"is anyone there…?"

"Yes!"

"well… just calling to say… you made a snowman really happy… guess i should say something else, too."

 _Fine, have it your way, dumbass._

"so… it's been a while. the queen returned, and is now ruling over the underground."

 _He's probably talking about Miss Toriel. Wait, do I have to call her Queen Toriel, now?_

"she's enstated a new policy… all the humans who fall here will be treated not as enemies… but as friends."

 _That's good, right?_

"it's probably for the best, anyway."

 _How so?_

"the human souls the king gathered… seem to have disappeared. so, uh, that plan ain't happening any time soon."

 _Oh… yeah._

"but even though people are heartbroken over the king… and things are looking grim for our freedom… the queen's trying her best not to let us give up hope. so, uh, hey… if we're not giving up down here… _don't give up wherever you are, ok_?"

 _... Sans…_

"who knows know long it will take… but we _will_ get out of here."

Next, I heard a loud, male voice.

"SANS! WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?"

"oh, nobody."

"WHAT!? NOBODY!? CAN I TALK TO THEM TOO?"

Despite my exhaustion, I could feel myself smiling, faintly.

"here, knock yourself out."

"WAIT A SECOND… I RECOGNIZE THIS NUMBER! ATTENTION, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… AM NOW CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

 _Congratulations. I'm happy for you… Wait, how did you manage that?_

"IT'D EVERYTHING I'VE EVERY DREAMED OF… EXCEPT, INSTEAD OF FIGHTING, WE JUST WATER FLOWERS."

I chuckled.

 _Papyrus... never stop being you._

"SO THAT'S EVER-SO-SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT. AND WE'RE HELPING DR. ALPHYS WITH HER RESEARCH. SHE'S GONNA FIND A WAY TO GET US OUT OF HERE."

 _And she doesn't have to do it alone, now…_

"UNDYNE IS HELPING HER TOO! THOUGH, TO BE HONEST, HER METHOD OF HELPING… SEEMS KIND OF… EXPLOSION-INDUCING."

 _That bad, huh?_

"BUT I THINK ALPHYS LIKES HAVING HER AROUND. UH OH!"

I heard, a boisterous, feminine voice.

"Hey! What are you up to, punk!? Ngahhhh!"

"PLEASE DON'T NOOGIE THE PHONE."

 _Same old Undyne._

"Hey! Who's in charge here!?"

"ME."

"Oh… yeah, that's right! I quit my job as leader of the Royal Guard. Actually, since we won't be fighting anymore… The Royal Guard totally disbanded. There's uh, only one member now."

"BUT HE'S EXTREMELY GOOD."

"Yeah! He is! C'mere!"

"PLEASE DON'T NOOGIE THE SKELETON."

I burst into laughter.

"Anyways, now I'm working as Alphys's lab assistant… We're gonna find a way out of this dump once and for all! Oh, yeah, and I'm a gym teacher at the queen's new school. Did you know I can bench-press seven children!? Awesome, right?"

Undyne's tone faltered.

"… Hey. I'm sorry about what happened with Asgore."

I cringed, remembering what had happened in the throne room.

 _I couldn't even stop him from taking his own life…_

"You were just doing what you had to. It's not your fault he… Ah, darn it. I miss the big guy."

… _I think I miss him, too…_

"… Come on, Undyne! Snap out of it! Uh, I guess I'll tell you how Alphys is doing. Well, she's the same as ever. Maybe a little more reclusive than normal."

… _?_

"Seems like something's really bothering her… But she can get through it! I'm there supporting her! That's what friends are for, right?... Hey, where-ever you are… I hope it's better than here."

 _I wish. I'm still no closer to home, Undyne._

"It took a lot of sacrifice for you to get there… So, where-ever you are… You have to try to be happy, okay!? For our sakes! We'll feel better knowing our trouble was worth it. We're all with you! Everyone is! Even the queen! …HEYYY! WAIT a second!"

Undyne shouted into the distance.

"Toriel! Toriel! Do you wanna…?... Heh, she says she's busy."

"BUT IF SHE KNEW WHO WE WERE TALKING TO…"

"we wouldn't get the phone back for a least a few hours."

 _Sounds about right…_

"WE HAVE THE MERCY TO SPARE YOU FROM HER!"

"But call back any time, ok?! She'd love to talk!"

 _I'd like to, but I can't make any promises right now…_

"oh, whoops. this thing's almost outta batteries. so, hate to cut this short, but… be seeing you, ok, buddy?"

"BYE BYE FOR NOW!"

"See ya, punk!"

The monsters hung up, leaving me to think.

"Now what?"

Flowey popped up next to me, fully healed from our battle.

 _Sigh…_

"What is it now, Flowey?"

"Why…? Why did you let me go?"

"Weren't you _listening_ , moron?"

"Don't you realize that being _nice_ … just makes you get _hurt_?"

"And you speak from _experience_? Forgive me for being _skeptical_."

"Look at yourself. You made all these great friends… But now, you'll probably _never_ see them again."

"If I can't get out of this void, I won't see ANYTHING again, _weed_!"

"Not to mention how much they've been set back by you. _Hurts_ , doesn't it?"

"I'll give you the same answer I gave to Undyne. I did my best, and _I don't regret a thing_."

"If you had just gone through without _caring_ about anyone… You wouldn't have to feel bad now."

" _Keep dreaming_ , Flowey. I am NOTHING like you."

"So, I don't get it. If you really did _everything_ the right way… Why did things still end up like this? Why…? Is life really that unfair?"

"Isn't that _obvious_?"

"… Say… What if I told you… I knew some way to get you a _better ending_?"

I glared at the devious flower.

"What's the catch?"

"You'll have to load you SAVE file, and... Well, in the meantime, _why don't you go see Dr. Alphys_? It seems like you could have been better friends. Who knows… maybe _she's_ got the key your happiness…? See you soon."

Flowey burrowed underground, but not before giving me one last piece of advice.

"You know, Smiley Trashbag? Papyrus's brother? Say. If I have ONE piece of advice for you… DON'T. Let him. Find out ANYTHING about you. He'll… well… Let's just say… He's caused me more than my fair share of resets _. Stay away from that guy_."

After he left, I thought about my "determination."

 _So, everyone keeps telling me that I have this special power, and that this power will show me the way forward? How?_

Suddenly, I had an idea.

I closed my eyes, and concentrated. I could feel something resonating within my crimson SOUL. As everything faded to white, I had one more thought:

 _I need to go back, to before I defeated King Asgore Dreemurr…_


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: "Sins of the Past"**

When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing in the throne room. To my surprise, I could see that King Asgore was still alive in the next room, despite the fact that I saw his SOUL shatter earlier.

 _Okay. That's that then. Time to start looking around…_

As I walked back through the CORE, Undyne called me.

"Hey…! Uh, this is Undyne… (Shut up, Papyrus! This was YOUR idea!)"

… _?_

"HUMAN! You have to deliver something for me! Uh, please?"

 _Did she just ASK NICELY?_

"I'm at Snowdin in front of Papyrus's. See ya, punk!"

 _So, Undyne called me, because Papyrus gave her an idea, but who gave him that idea? Flowey? After all, I know for a fact that Flowey gives advice to Papyrus. Was this what that yellow flower was talking about?_

I asked the Riverperson to take me to Snowdin.

"Tra la la. The angel is coming... Tra la la."

I made to Papyrus's house, where Undyne and Papyrus were waiting.

"Um, so, I have a favor to ask you. Uuuuh, I… I need you to deliver this letter. To Dr. Alphys."

"So why…"

"Huh!? Why don't I do it myself…?... um. W-well… I-it's kind of personal, but we're friends… so… I'll t-tell you… Hotland SUUUUCKS! I don't wanna have to go over there! So here you go."

 _(You got the Undyne's Letter.)_

"Oh, and if you read it… I'll KILL you. Thanks so much! You're the best!"

 _Great… Now I'm her personal mailman._

I asked the Riverperson to take me to Hotland (again).

"Tra la la. Beware of the man who came from the other world."

At Doctor Alphys's lab, I noticed that there was no mail slot, so I slid the letter underneath the door, and knocked.

"… O-oh n-no, is that another letter…? I don't want to open it… C-can't I just slide it back out…?"

 _Alphys, come on…_

"… N… no… I can't keep doing this. I'll read this one… Um… I-it's shut k-kind of strongly, isn't it?... Wait a second…"

I heard Alphys revving a chainsaw. Afterwards, she opened the door.

"Hey, if this is a joke, it's…"

She noticed who she was talking to.

"… Oh My God? Did YOU write this letter? It wasn't signed, so, I had no idea who could have…"

 _Undyne, you moron! Sigh… I think I know where this is going…_

"Oh my god. Oh no. That's adorable… And I h-had no idea you, um, wrote that way!"

 _WHAT DID UNDYNE EVEN WRITE!?_

"It's surprising, too… After all the gross stuff I did…"

… _?_

"I don't really deserve to be forgiven. Much less, um… This? And so passionately, too… You know what, okay! I'll do it! It's the least I can do to make it up to you! Y-yeah! Let's _go on a date_!"

 _Crap…_

Alphys ducked behind a corner.

"Uhhh, sorry! I'm still getting dressed!"

Alphys returned, wearing a dress with dots.

"H-how do I look?"

"… It's nice."

"My friend helped me prick out this dress. She's got a great sense of… Um, anyway! Let's do this thing!"

"Ummm…"

"H-h-hey, w-w-wait! Actually, we still can't start the date yet! Umm, I've gotta give you items to raise your affection statistic, first!"

"You're joking, right?"

"That'll increase the chance of a successful outcome to the date! Right…? Anyway, d-don't worry! I'm, prepared! I-I've been stockpiling gifts in anticipation for a date like this! F-first, I've got…"

She pulled out a container of liquid.

"Some metal armor polish!"

"Excuse me…?"

"Um, maybe you can't use that. But!"

She pulled out a different container.

"I also brought some water proof cream for your scales!"

"Ahem…"

"Your, uh… Scales… Uh, how about…"

She pulled out a box.

"This magical spear repair kit, that I…"

"Sigh…"

"Um… Hey, let's forget about the items! Let's just start the date! Yeah! Let's, uh, date!"

We stood in silence for a moment.

"… uh… Do you… like… Anime…?"

"Yes."

"H-hey! Me too!"

More silence…

"Hey! Let's! Go somewhere! But where's a good place to go on a date…? … I've got it! Let's go to the garbage dump!"

She grabbed my arm, and dragged me along. For a short dinosaur lady, she can be pretty strong when she's passionate about something…

* * *

At the trash dump in Waterfall…

"Here we are! This is where Undyne and I come all the time… We find all sorts of great stuff here. Heh, she's really… Uh…"

Alphys looked to the side.

"Oh no. That's her over there. I c-can't let her see me on a date with you!"

"Why?"

"Why…? Because, uh… Well… Oh no, here she comes!"

Alphys ducked behind a nearby trashcan, and Undyne approached me.

"Hey! There you are! I, uh, realized, if you deliver that thing… It might be a bad idea."

 _YOU THINK!?_

"So, I'm gonna do it! Give it to me!"

"About that…"

"Huh!? You don't have it!? Ngggaaahhh! Have you at least seen her!?"

Alphys started to shake.

"… Yes."

"Yes? So, she's somewhere around here… Thanks. I'll keep looking."

 _This is like High School Musical all over again…_

Undyne departed, and Alphys came out from behind the trash can.

"Oh my god… W… well, I guess it's obvious, huh? I… uh… I really like her. I mean, more than I like other people! I'm sorry. I j-just figured, y-you know… It'd be f-fun to go on like, a cute, kind of… Pretend date with you? T-to make you feel better?... Well, it sounds even worse when I put it like that. I'm sorry. I messed up again. Undyne's the person I… Um… really want to go on a date with. But, I mean… She's way out of my league."

 _Undyne blushes every time she talks about you._

"N-not that you aren't, um, cool! B-but… Undyne… She's so confident… And strong… And funny… And I'm just a nobody. A fraud. I'm the royal scientist, but… All I've ever done is hurt people. I've told her so many lies, she thinks I'm… She thinks I'm a lot cooler than I actually am. If she gets close to me, she'll… She'll find out the truth about me… What should I do?"

"Don't you think she deserves the truth?"

"The truth…? But if I tell her that, she'll hate me. Isn't it better this way? To live a lie where both people are happy… Or a truth where neither of us are?"

 _You don't look very happy right now, though…_

"They say "be yourself." But I don't really like who "myself" is. I'd rather just be whatever makes people like me. Eheheh… No, you're right. Every day I'm scared… Scared what will happen if people learn the truth on their own. They'll all get hurt because of me… But how can I tell Undyne the tr…truth? I d-don't have the confidence… I'm going to mess it up! How can I practice!?"

I noticed two voice options, but they both said "Roleplay."

 _Sigh… You are dead set on this, aren't you, Narrator…_

"Have you considered roleplaying? I can help."

"R… roleplay?... That actually sounds kind of fun!"

 _Glad to see she's cheering up a little…_

"OK, which one of us will be Undyne?"

"I'll be Undyne."

"Oh. Right. _Obviously_. Ehehe. Ahem. H-hi Undyne… H-how are you doing today?"

"I'm fine."

"Ha! Ha! Glad to hear it!... Uhhh, so I'd like to, um, talk to you about something."

"What is it, Alphys?"

"Umm, you see… I… I… I… I h-haven't been exactly truthful w-w-with you… Y… you see, I… I… Oh, forget it! Undyne! I… I want to tell you how I feel! Y-you're so brave, a-and s-strong… A-and nice… Y-you always listen t-to me when I talk about n-n-nerdy stuff… Y-you always d-d-do your best to m-make me f-f-feel special… L-like t-telling me that y-you'll b-beat up anyone that g-gets in my way…"

At this point, Alphys was a little too involved with the roleplaying…

"UNDYNE! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANY LONGER! I'M MADLY IN LOVE WITH YOU! HOLD ME, UNDYNE! HOLD ME!"

And that was when Undyne completed her circle of Waterfall's trash dump. Her eye was wide open.

"WHAT did you just say?"

"U… Undyne! I… was just…"

"Hey, woah, wait a second! Your outfit's really cute! What's the occasion?... Wait a second. Are you two… On a date?"

"UHHH YES! I mean, UHHH NO! I mean, we were, but… I mean, actually we were only romantically roleplaying as you!"

"WHAT?"

"I MEAN! I mean… Undyne… I… I've been lying to you!"

"WHAT? ABOUT WHAT?"

"About… well… Everything! I told you that seaweed was like… scientifically important. Really, I just… I just use it to make ice cream! And those human history books I keep reading… Those are just dorky comic books! And the history movies… those… Those are just, uh, anime! And that time I told you I was busy with work on the phone… I… was just eating frozen yogurt in my pajamas! That time I…"

Undyne interrupted.

"Alphys."

"I… I just wanted to impress you! I just wanted you to think I was smart and cool. That I wasn't some… nerdy loser."

Undyne bent down, and rubbed her friend's head.

"Alphys."

"Undyne, I… I really think you're neat, OK…"

"Alphys. Shhhh. Shhhhhh."

Undyne picked up Alphys, and tossed the dinosaur monster into the trashcan from before.

"Alphys! I… think you're neat, too, I guess. But, you've gotta realize… Most of what you said really doesn't matter to me. I don't care if you're watching kid cartoons or reading history books. To me, ALL of that stuff is just NERDY CRAP! What I like about you is that you're PASSIONATE! You're ANALYTICAL! It doesn't matter what it is! YOU CARE ABOUT IT! 100-PERCENT! AT MAXIMUM POWER! … so, you don't have to lie to me. I don't want you to have to lie to anyone anymore. Alphys... I want to help you become happy with who you are! And I know just the training you need to do that!"

Alphys poked her eyes out of the trash can.

"Undyne… You…"

She blushed, and she had _hearts_ in her eyes.

"Y-you're gonna train me…?"

"Pffft, what? ME?"

Papyrus revealed himself from behind a pile of trash. He was wearing a ridiculous outfit with a shirt titled "JOG BOY." Alphys narrowed her eyes.

"Nah, I'm gonna get Papyrus to do it."

"GET THOSE BONES SHAKIN! IT'S TIME TO JOB 100 LAPS, HOOTING ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE!"

"Ready? I'm about to start the timer!"

"U-Undyne… I'll do my best…!"

The two monsters ran off, shouting at the top of their lungs. Meanwhile, Undyne was having an existential crisis.

"OH MY GOD! She was kidding, right!? Those cartoons… those comics…"

Undyne turned to look at me.

"Those are still REAL, right!?"

She smiled, showing all of her sharp teeth.

"ANIME'S REAL, RIGHT?!"

 _This should be good._

"Ha ha… no."

"No… NO! I CAN FEEL MY HEART BREAKING INTO PIECES!"

She paused.

"… no, I can survive this… I have to be strong. For Alphys. Thank you, human, for telling me the truth. I'll try my best to live in this world… See you later!"

 _She took that better than I expected…_

Papyrus also took the time to give me a call.

"IF IT ISN'T MY GOOD FRIEND WHO TRUSTS ME. THIS IS PAPYRUS. YOUR ALSO MUTUAL FRIEND. ALPHYS AND I FINISHED OUT TRAINING EARLY. VERY EARLY. SO, I SENT HER HOME. VERY HOME. UH… NOW. I FEEL STRONGLY AND FOR NO APPARTENT REASON. YOU SHOULD ALSO GO… THERE. TO HER. LAB… HOUSE. I HAVE ONLY GOOD FEELINGS ABOUT THIS. GOODBYE."

 _Sigh… Papyrus is terrible at lying. So, what's Flowey's game plan this time? He already managed to grab the six human souls once…_

Back at the lab, I found a note from Doctor Alphys.

"Hey. Thanks for your help back there. You guys… Your support really means a lot to me. But… As difficult as it is to say this… You guys along can't magically make my own problems go away. I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes. I'm going to start doing that now. I want to be clear. This isn't anyone else's problem but mine. But if you don't ever hear from me again… If you want to know "the truth." Enter the door to the north of this note. You all at least deserve to know what I did."

 _Wait, so she wasn't just talking about eating frozen yogurt in her pajamas…?_

In the room she mentioned, I found an elevator with one other location, however, there was a malfunction.

"WARNING! WARNING! ELEVATOR LOSING POWER!"

There was a deafening crash, and everything went dark.

* * *

When I came to, the elevator door opened, and I found myself in a series of dark, dirty hallways.

I bought some packets of "potato chisps", and I also found some electronic journal entries.

"ENTRY NUMBER 1: This is it… Time to do what the King has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the SOUL."

"ENTRY NUMBER 2: The barrier is locked by SOUL power… Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. SOUL power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now... The SOULs of monsters."

 _This the synopsis of every sci-fi horror ever…_

"ENTRY NUMBER 3: But extracting a SOUL from a living monster would require incredible power... Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the SOUL's host. And, unlike the persistent SOULs of humans... The SOULs of most monsters disappear immediately upon death. If only I could make a monster's SOUL last..."

"ENTRY NUMBER 5: I've done it. Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human SOULs. I believe this is what gives their SOULs the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living... The resolve to change fate. Let's call this power... "Determination.""

 _(…)_

 _So, Alphys had something to do with experiment regarding Souls. Obviously, something went wrong, and that's why she's always so paranoid… Sigh… Something tells me that I'll need more than determination for what lies ahead…_

I came a door with four nodes (red, blue, green, and yellow), along with a note:

"elevator… lost power… enter the center door…"

 _This is just like the puzzles from before. Well, better get moving. Alphys could be in some serious trouble…_

"ENTRY NUMBER 6: Asgore asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had "fallen down." Their bodies came in today. They're still comatose... And soon, they'll all turn into dust. But what happens if I inject "determination" into them? If their SOULS persist after they perish, then... Freedom might be closer than we all thought."

 _See, THIS is why human scientists ALWAYS follow a code of ethics…_

"ENTRY NUMBER 9: things aren't going well. none of the bodies have turned into dust, so i can't get the SOULs. i told the families that i would give them the dust back for the funerals. people are starting to ask me what's happening. what do i do?"

 _Wait… the entry format changed. Did the project leadership change hands, too? Alphys doesn't use uppercase letters with the beginning of each sentence... Well, her and Sans, at the very least. But who was the first head of development?_

I turned on three sinks. The first two sinks had clear water, but the third spewed out thick, white viscous liquid. The liquid formed into a misshapen monster.

 _What in the world…_

 _(? drew near!)_

There were three blobs attacking me. They were called "Memoryheads," and they left me alone after I refused to "join the fun."

 _So, this is what Alphys was talking about…_

The Memoryheads were nice enough to leave behind a red key in a sink. I added the key to my phone's keychain, and then I put the red key in a slot in a nearby wall.

 _One down, three to go._

"ENTRY NUMBER 12: nothing is happening. i don't know what to do. i'll just keep injecting everything with "determination." i want this to work."

"ENTRY NUMBER 13: one of the bodies opened its eyes."

 _So, zombie monsters…?_

Walking into a room filled with empty beds, I continued to read the entries.

"ENTRY NUMBER 14: Everyone that had fallen down... has woken up. They're all walking around and talking like nothing is wrong. I thought they were goners...?"

 _(…)_

 _I think I'm starting to get the picture. After all, dead people usually don't come back to life… not unless SOMEONE or SOMETHING brought them back…_

"ENTRY NUMBER 15: Seems like this research was a dead end... But at least we got a happy ending out of it...? I sent the SOULS back to Asgore, returned the vessel to his garden... And I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive. I'll send everyone back tomorrow. : )"

 _Alphys, you fool! You screwed around with Mother Nature and the Mistress of Fate, and they found a way to get even, didn't they…? Also, what "vessel?"_

"ENTRY NUMBER 16: no No NO NO NO NO NO"

 _Sigh… Typical… Just… Typical… You know… for such a long-lived race, the monsters can be rather… shortsighted…_

I came across another yellow star (which I now knew was called a "SAVE" star), but it wasn't even a star. It was another goop monster.

 _(Smells like sweet lemons.)_

 _You really have skewed priorities, Narrator…_

I had to dodge a huge set of monster jaws. The monster was called Lemon Bread, and I spared it through "un-hugging," "flexing," and "humming."

I walked pass a red machine labeled "DT EXTRATION MACHINE." It was shaped like a skull. In one of the side rooms, I came across a VHS player and some tapes, along with a slot for a yellow key, and a note telling me to check "under the bedsheets."

"ENTRY NUMBER 4: I've been researching humans to see if I can find any info about their SOULS. I ended up snooping around the castle... And found these weird tapes. I don't feel like Asgore's watched them... I don't think he should."

… _?_

I worked my way through five tapes…

Tape 1:

"Pssst. Gorey, wake up."

"Mmm? What is it, dear? ... er, and why do you have that video camera?"

"Shush! I want to get your reaction. Gorey, dearest. What is my favorite vegetable?"

"Hmmm... Carrots, right?"

"No no no! My favorite vegetable is... Eda-MOM-e... get it?

"... Go back to bed, dear."

"No no! Not yet! Hee hee hee. Now, If I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be?"

"Hmmm... I don't know, honey. What kind of dog would you be?"

"I would be... A MOMERANIAN."

"Hohoho! You sure are excited to have this child. You know, if you keep making jokes like this... One day, you could be... ... a famous MOMedian."

"... Well, I am going to bed."

"Hey! Come on Tori! That one was funny!"

"Hahaha, I know. I am just teasing you. Goodnight, dear."

"Goodnight, honey."

"... Oh dear, perhaps it is too dark in here for the video to come out."

 _That was a conversation between Toriel and Asgore, before Asriel was born. They sounded… happy._

Tape 2:

"Okay, Chara, are you ready? Do your creepy face! AHHHHH! Hee hee hee! Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on... What!? You're not gonna do it again...? Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!"

 _That was Asriel, the son of the King and Queen. If I remember correctly, Asriel's adopted sibling was a human. Does that mean the human's name was Chara? Wait, I remember hearing Asriel's voice before, when Undyne sliced the bridge in Waterfall…_

Tape 3:

"Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera! Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the cap on... ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for noooo reason! Hee hee hee. What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter... But we accidentally put in _buttercups_ instead. Yeah! _Those flowers got him really sick_. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did... Um, anyway, where are you going with this? Huh? _Turn off the camera...?_ OK."

 _That's right… Buttercups are extremely poisonous, aren't they…?_

Tape 4:

"I... I don't like this idea, Chara. Wh... what? N-no, I'm not... big kids don't cry. Yeah, you're right. No! I'd _never_ doubt you, Chara. _Never_! Y... yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone. _I'll go get the flowers_."

 _Oh, no…_

Tape 5:

"Chara… Can you hear me? We want you to wake up..."

"Chara! You have to stay determined! You can't give up! You are the future of humans and monsters..."

"... Psst... Chara… Please... Wake up... I don't like this plan anymore. I... I... no, I said... I said I'd never doubt you. _Six_ , right? We just have to get six... _And we'll do it together, right_?"

 _Is this why Asriel absorbed his sibling's soul? Because the human child told him to?_

 _If so… then Asriel and Chara died for nothing… and everyone suffered as a result…_

I left the room, my head filled with questions…

In another side room, I found a bathtub with a green key inside.

"ENTRY NUMBER 11: now that mettaton's made it big, he never talks to me anymore... except to ask when i'm going to finish his body. but i'm afraid if i finish his body, he won't need me anymore... then we'll never be friends ever again... not to mention, every time i try to work on it, i just get really sweaty..."

 _So, Mettaton and Alphys are old friends because she built a robot body for him…_

I turned on a set of fans, and I confronted a dog-like monster blob.

 _(It's the Amalgamate.)_

The monster was called Endogeny, and it was pacified after I played fetch with it, just like the dog monsters in Snowdin. After checking the beds again, I found the yellow key, and put it in the appropriate slot.

 _Two down, two to go…_

"ENTRY NUMBER 19: the families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home. what am i supposed to say? i don't even answer the phone anymore."

 _Poor Alphys… She may have played around with nature, but no one deserves something like THIS…_

"ENTRY NUMBER 20: Asgore left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry. one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me. thanks asgore."

… _Talk about mood whiplash…_

"ENTRY NUMBER 21: i spend all my time at the garbage dump now. it's my element."

 _And now, she uses ironic self-loathing to hide her actual self-loathing…_

The next goop monster was like the others, but it looked oddly familiar.

 _Oh god… Snowdrake's dad said that his wife passed on… is this what happened to her? This is so messed up…_

She looked like Snowdrake and his father, but she had Vegetoids instead of eyes…

"sn… o… wy…"

Her attacks couldn't even reach me…

 _Well… I can at least cheer her up a little…_

"How's it going… Um, it's _ice_ to meet you…?"

Her expression lifted a little.

"haha… i… remem… ber…."

She left the room, leaving behind a blue key.

 _One left…_

I slotted the green key, and I walked into a hallway lined with mirrors and a line of golden flowers.

"ENTRY NUMBER 7: We'll need a vessel to wield the monster SOULs when the time comes. After all, a monster cannot absorb the SOULs of other monsters. Just as a human cannot absorb a human SOUL... So then... What about something that's neither human nor monster?"

 _There's something weird about this entry…_

"ENTRY NUMBER 10: experiments on the vessel are a failure. it doesn't seem to be any different from the control cases. whatever. they're a hassle to work with anyway. the seeds just stick to you, and won't let go..."

An explanation mark manifested above my head, turning into another goop monster. It attacked with butterflies. I pacified the monster by "picking on it," "praying," and "mystifying it." Afterwards, "Reaper Bird" left.

I slotted the blue key, and I went back to the main door.

 _That should be everything…_

I walked through an elevator and passed by two journal entries that were deactivated. In the final room, I managed to turn the power back on.

The four Amalgamates ambushed me, but surprisingly, _Alphys_ was around to bail me out again.

"Hey! Stop!"

The monsters parted so the dinosaur monster could get through.

"I got you guys some food, okay!?"

Content, the goop monsters departed.

"Alphys…"

"Sorry about that… They get kind of sassy when they don't get fed on time."

 _Sassy? Their attacks were extremely powerful…_

"I think they smelled the potato chips you had, and… Anyway! The power went out, and I've been trying to turn it back on! But it seems like you were one step ahead of me. This was probably just a big inconvenience for you…"

"That's ONE way to put it…"

"B-but I appreciate that you came here to back me up!"

 _I was worried that you were going to follow in Asgore's footsteps! I admit, I'm not the best person, but even_ I _care about things like this!_

"As I said, I was afraid I might… Not come back… But that's not because of these guys or anything! I was just worried I would be too afraid… To tell the truth… That I might run away, or do something… _Cowardly_ …"

 _In that case, I'm just glad you're still alive…_

"Uh… I… suppose I owe you an explanation."

"That would be nice…"

"As you probably know, Asgore asked me to study the nature of SOULs. During my research, I isolated a power I called "determination." I injected into dying monsters so their SOULs would last after death. But the experiment _failed_. You see, unlike humans', monsters' bodies don't have enough… Physical matter to take those concentrations of "determination." Their bodies started to _melt_ , and lost what physicality they had. Pretty soon, all of the test subjects had melted together into… _Those_. Seeing them like this, I knew… I couldn't tell their families about it. I couldn't tell _anyone_ about it. No matter how much everyone was asking me. And I was too afraid to do any more work, knowing… everything I'd done so far had been such a _horrific failure_ … but now. Now, I've changed my mind about all this. I'm going to tell everyone what I've done… It's going to be hard. Being honest… Believing in myself… I'm sure there will be times where I'll struggle. I'm sure there will be times where I screw up again. But knowing, deep down, that I have friends to fall back on… I know it'll be a lot easier to stand on my own. _Thank you_."

The Amalgamates returned.

"Come on, guys. _It's time for everyone to go home_."

The monsters left the room.

… _I can't say I agree with everything that has happened here, but in her shoes, I might have done the same thing._

Walking back into the hallway, the two remaining journal entries were lit. They displayed red smiling faces…

"ENTRY NUMBER 8: I've chosen a candidate. I haven't told Asgore yet, because I want to surprise him with it... In the center of his garden, there's something special. The first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world. It appeared just before the queen left. I wonder... What happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?"

… _!_

"ENTRY NUMBER 18: the flower's gone _._ "

 _Crap…_

 _When Asriel died, his dust was spread over the King's garden. If one of those flowers was injected with determination… Oh no… This is bad. I NEED to find the other monsters, ASAP!_

As I rushed into the elevator, I got a call with a hidden ID…

 _(It's a voice you have never heard before…)_

"Chara… Are you there? It's been a _long_ time, hasn't…? But you've done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place. Chara… _See you soon_."

The elevator doors shut violently, and I rocketed upwards…


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: "… Hold on to Something"**

When I regained consciousness, I was back in New Home. The elevator was _jammed shut with vines_.

 _Back in the elevator, that was Asriel's voice, wasn't it? It was distorted, but it was similar to the distortion I heard during my dream in Waterfall…_

There was no other path I could take, so I rushed back to Asgore's throne room, filled with dread.

 _(…)_

 _I don't know what Flowey's going to do this time, but I need to be ready… I made a promise._

I talked to King Asgore, once again.

"This is the barrier. This is what keeps us all trapped underground. If… If by chance you have any unfinished business… Please do what you must."

 _You only live once… no regrets._

"I'm good."

"I see… This is it then."

The king turned to face me.

"Ready?"

The souls rose, again.

 _(A strange light fills the room. Twilight is shining through the barrier. It seems you journey is finally over. You're filled with DETERMINATION.)_

… _Let's end this, once and for all._

"Human…"

He briefly raised his eyes to meet mine.

"It was nice to meet you."

He bowed his head again.

"Goodbye."

Suddenly, a fireball manifested to my right. Asgore lifted his head, but he was blindsided, just like Flowey once was. Miss Toriel walked into view.

"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent, youth… Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian."

 _This was… unexpected._

"How did you…"

"At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone…"

 _I DID make my journey alone, Miss Toriel…_

"But I could not stop worrying about you. Your adventure must have been so _treacherous_."

She frowned.

"... and ultimately, it would burden you with a _horrible_ choice. To leave this place, you would have to take the life of another person. You would have to defeat Asgore."

 _Do you attack everyone with fire!?_

The goat lady smiled.

"However, I realized... I _cannot_ allow that. It is _not_ right to sacrifice someone simply to let someone leave here. Is that not what I have been trying to prevent this whole time?"

"…Ummm…"

"So, for now, let us suspend this battle. As terrible as Asgore is... He deserves mercy, too."

 _THAT'S WHAT I DID!_ _Sigh_ … _Not like it made a difference, though…_

I looked over at King Asgore. He was elated.

"Tori... You came back...!"

Miss Toriel glared at her ex-husband. He grimaced.

"Do not "Tori" me, Dreemurr! You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind... You could have gone through the barrier after you got ONE SOUL... taken six SOULs from the humans, then come back and freed everyone peacefully. But instead, you made everyone live in _despair_... Because you would rather wait here, _meekly_ hoping another human never comes."

 _The way I see it, NEITHER OF YOU were willing to absorb a human SOUL! Asriel and Chara were the only ones who had the guts to try, and we all know how THAT turned out!_

"... Tori... You're _right_... I am a miserable creature... but, do you think we can at least be _friends_ again?"

Asgore smiled in hopefulness. Toriel sighed.

"NO, Asgore."

The king immediately burst into tears, and Undyne burst onto the scene.

"Ngahhhhhh! Asgore! Human! Nobody fight each other! Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll...! I'll..."

Undyne noticed Toriel.

"Hello. I am Toriel. Are you the human's friend? It is nice to meet you."

"Uh, yeah...? Nice to meet you!"

Undyne quickly checked on the king.

"Hey Asgore, is that your _ex_? Jeez. That's rough, buddy."

Alphys nervously walked up.

"H-hey! Nobody hurt each other! ..."

She had the same reaction as Undyne.

"Oh! Are you another friend? I am Toriel. Hello!"

"Uh, h-h-hi! ... (THERE'S TWO OF THEM?)"

 _Interesting… So, Alphys's predecessor knew about the queen…_

Alphys stood next to Undyne, as Papyrus butted in.

"HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE! IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE...! THEN I'LL! BE FORCED! TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP."

 _Good to see you too, Papyrus._

"Hello!"

"OH! HELLO, YOUR MAJESTY!"

The tall skeleton looked over at me.

"PSST! HEY, HUMAN... DID ASGORE SHAVE...? AND... CLONE HIMSELF?"

"… No, that's Toriel, _his ex-wife_."

Sans confidently walked toward us.

 _What a reunion…_

"hey guys... what's up?"

Toriel noticed Sans.

"That voice...!"

Toriel stepped forward, while Asgore, Undyne, and Alphys awkwardly stood to the side.

"Hello. I think we may... Know each other?"

"oh hey... i recognize your voice, too."

"I am Toriel. So nice to meet you."

Asgore started crying his eyes out.

"the name's sans. and, uh, same."

"Oh! Wait, then...!"

Toriel turned to look at the other skeleton in the room.

"This must be your brother, Papyrus! Greetings, Papyrus! It is so nice to finally meet you! Your brother has told me so much about you."

 _So, Toriel and Sans didn't even bother to exchange names until today…_

"WOWIE... I CAN'T BELIEVE ASGORE'S CLONE KNOWS WHO I AM! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

"Hey, Papyrus... What does a skeleton tile his roof with?"

"HMMM... SNOW-PROOF ROOF TILES?"

"No, silly! A skeleton tiles his roof with... SHIN-gles!"

The poor skeleton's eyes bulged out.

"I CHANGED MY MIND! THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

Meanwhile, Undyne and Alphys tried to cheer Asgore up.

"Come on, Asgore! It's gonna be OK! There are plenty of fish in the sea..."

"Y-yeah, Asgore! Undyne's totally right about that fish thing! S-sometimes you've just got to, uh... Stop going after furry boss monsters and, uh... J-just get to know a really cute fish...? ... It's a metaphor."

"Well. I think it's a good analogy."

I noticed Mettaton standing off to the side.

"OH MY GOD! WILL YOU TWO JUST SMOOCH ALREADY!? THE AUDIENCE IS DYING FOR SOME ROMANTIC ACTION!"

"HEY, SHUT UP! Man, the nerve of that guy! Right, Alphys!? ... Uh, Alphys?"

"... No. He's right. LET'S DO IT."

"? Well? Uh? I guess? If you want to? Then? Don't hold anything back!"

They leaned towards each other, but Toriel interrupted them.

"W-wait! Not in front of the human!"

"Uhh, right! S-sorry, I got a little carried away there."

 _Too late, Miss Toriel. I've already been scarred for life by the entire Underground…_

"Hee hee hee. My child, it seems as if you must stay here for a while. But looking at all the great friends you have made... I think... I think you will be happy here."

Everyone stood together, facing me. However, Alphys raised a very important question.

"H-hey, that reminds me. Papyrus... YOU called everyone here, right? Well, besides, uh, her. Uh, anyway... If I got here before you... How did you know how to call everybody?"

"LET'S JUST SAY... _A TINY FLOWER_ HELPED ME."

 _God damn it, Flowey!_

Alphys began to panic.

"A tiny... flower?"

 _Don't play dumb, Doctor Alphys. You know EXACTLY what he's talking about, don't you?_

Suddenly, a HUGE vine coursed through the room, lifting the six monsters into the air. Flowey revealed himself again.

"You IDIOTS. While you guys were having your little pow-wow... I took the human SOULS! And now, not only are THOSE under my power... But all of your FRIENDS' SOULS are gonna be mine, too! Hee hee hee. And you know what the best part is? _It's all your fault_."

"Oh, go jump of a cliff, weed!"

"It's all because you MADE THEM love you. All the time you spent listening to them... Encouraging them... Caring about them... Without that, they wouldn't have come here. And now, with their souls and the humans' together... I will achieve my REAL FORM. Hee hee..."

"Why, Flowey? Are you really THIS PETTY!?"

"Huh? WHY am I still doing this? Don't you get it? This is all just a GAME. If you leave the underground satisfied, you'll "win" the game. If you "win," you won't want to "play" with me anymore. And what would I do then? But this game between us will NEVER end. I'll hold victory in front of you, just within your reach... And then tear it away just before you grasp it. Over, and over, and over... Hee hee hee. Listen. If you DO defeat me, I'll give you your "happy ending." I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the barrier. Everyone will finally be satisfied. But that WON'T happen. You...! I'll keep you here no matter what!"

"I BEAT YOU ONCE! I'LL DO IT AGAIN!"

Flowey surrounded me with his bullets.

"Even if it means killing you _1,000,000 times_!"

With three waves of bullets, my HP was reduced to one. However, the final wave was blocked by a ring of small fireballs. Flowey stopped laughing.

"What?"

Despite being in serious pain, Toriel smiled, weakly.

"Do not be afraid my child... No matter what happens... We will _always_ be there to protect you!"

With her encouragement, my HP was raised to 2/20.

"… Miss Toriel… I…"

Flowey summoned more bullets, but they were blocked by a bone and a spear.

Papyrus looked up at me.

"THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO WHAT I, WOULD DO... BELIEVE IN YOU!"

My HP rose to 3/20.

"… Papyrus… thank you…"

Undyne grinned. Her smile was the widest one yet…

"Hey! Human! If you got past ME, you can do ANYTHING! So, don't worry! We're with you all the way!"

HP- 4/20.

"… Undyne… you too?"

Sans opened his eyes.

"huh? you haven't beaten this guy yet? come on, this weirdo's got nothin' on you."

HP- 5/20.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence…"

More bullets. This time, they were blocked by electric bolts and more fire.

Alphys was still sweating.

"Technically, it's _impossible_ for you to beat him... B-but... Somehow, I know you can do it!"

HP -6/20.

"… Thank you?"

Asgore smiled at me, with his face full of pride.

"Human, for the future of humans and monsters...! _You have to stay determined_...!"

HP -7/20.

"… I will. I promise…"

Next up, a large group of monsters arrived to cheer me on. I saw Snowdrake, Shyren, a Vulkin, Monster Kid, Royal Guard 01, Muffet, Greater Dog, and a Froggit."

"La la la la!"

"We're with you too!"

"C'mon, you got this!"

"You've GOT to win!"

"You can do it!"

"Ribbit."

"When did you guys get here?"

Despite my skepticism, I was smiling. Flowey was starting to lose his cool.

"Urrrgh... NO! Unbelievable! This can't be happening! You... You...!"

Everything froze for a moment. Flowey leered.

"I can't believe you're all so STUPID. ALL OF YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!"

The world faded to white.

* * *

When my vision cleared, I was in the black void, and I saw a young Boss Monster facing away from me. He was wearing a green and yellow striped shirt. The monster moved his head, flexed his hands, and _chuckled_.

"Finally. I was so _tired_ of being a flower."

The monster turned around, looked up at me, and smiled.

"Howdy! Chara, are you there? It's me, your best friend."

He shifted to a larger form, one with a robe, some horns, and a familiar heart locket…

 _ **ASRIEL DREEMURR**_

 _(It's the end.)_

 _(Check- Asriel Dreemurr: INF ATK, INF DEF, Legendary being made of every SOUL in the underground.)_

He launched fireballs that I weaved through, and then the world exploded into color.

 _(It's the Absolute GOD of Hyperdeath!)_

 _Are you… squeeing!? Whose side are you on!?_

Checking my options (hope, and dream), I used "hope," reducing damage taken for a turn.

Asriel utilized exploding stars against me.

 _(Asriel charges SHOCKER BREAKER.)_

I used "dream," healing me and granting me powerful healing items called "Last Dreams."

Meanwhile, Asriel and I had a _chat._

"When I get home, I'm going to sleep for a _whole day_."

"You know... I don't care about destroying this world anymore."

I dodged several pillars of electricity.

 _(Asriel calls on CHAOS SABER.)_

"I'm going to enjoy the rest of my Spring Break in peace and _quiet_."

"After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline... I just want to reset everything."

Asriel sliced the air with two comically large swords.

 _(Asriel charges SHOCKER BREAKER.)_

"Next, I'm going to check on my friend, Button Hansen."

"All your progress... Everyone's memories. I'll bring them all back to zero!"

More electric pillars.

 _(Asriel readies STAR BLAZING.)_

"After the trouble I put him through, it's the least I can do."

"Then we can do everything ALL over again."

More giant stars.

 _(Asriel readies CHAOS BUSTER.)_

"Then, I'm going to surprise my other friend, David Livingston."

"And you know what the best part of all this is? You'll DO it."

I dodged bullets and a rainbow laser from a giant arm cannon.

 _(Asriel calls on CHAOS SABER.)_

"I now have enough dark jokes to blow him out of the water."

"And then you'll lose to me again."

More swords.

 _(Asriel readies CHAOS BUSTER.)_

"I'm going to give my mom a big hug."

"And again."

More bullets and lasers.

 _(Asriel readies SHOCKER BREAKER II.)_

"I'm going to tell her how much I love her."

"And again!"

More electric pillars.

 _(Asriel readies Galacta Blazing.)_

"My aunt's going to throw a FIT."

"Because you want a "happy ending."

More stars.

 _(Asriel readies CHAOS SLICER.)_

"It's why I always call her "Aunt Mall-Cop.""

"Because you "love your friends.""

More swords.

 _(Asriel readies CHAOS BLASTER.)_

"I'm going to buy a jumbo scoop of mint ice cream."

"Because you "never give up.""

More bullets and lasers.

 _(Asriel readies SHOCKER BREAKER II.)_

"I'm going to buy a huge cake for all my friends."

"Isn't that delicious? Your "determination." The power that let you get this far... It's gonna be your downfall!"

More electric pillars.

 _(Asriel readies HYPER GONER.)_

"You can't stop me, or them."

"Now, ENOUGH messing around! It's time to purge this timeline once and for all!"

Asriel summoned a giant goat skull, which generated a _black hole_. Despite his best efforts, Asriel couldn't kill me.

HP- 1/20.

"And together, we'll see the sun again."

"... even after that attack, you're still standing in my way...? Wow... you really ARE something special. But don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my REAL power! Let's see what good your DETERMINATION is against THIS!"

The world flashed white, leaving us in the black void again.

He had turned himself into a larger, more menacing form with darkly-colored wings.

 _(Asriel blocks the way!)_

My body was paralyzed, and all I could do was struggle…

"Urah ha ha... Behold my TRUE power!"

His rainbow bullets depleted my HP, but I forced my soul back together with sheer willpower.

 _(But it refused.)_

"I can feel it... Every time you _die_ , your grip on this world slips away. Every time you _die_ , your friends forget you a _little_ more. Your life will end here, in a world where _no one_ remembers you..."

More bullets.

 _(The whole world is ending.)_

"Still you're hanging on...? That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything, too. That attitude will serve you well in your next life!"

But I refused.

"Ura ha ha... Still!? Come on... Show me what good your DETERMINATION is now!"

But I refused.

 _(Can't move your body. Nothing happened. You struggle... Nothing happened. You tried to reach your SAVE file. Nothing happened. You tried again to reach your SAVE file. Nothing happened. Seems SAVING the game really is impossible. ... But... Maybe, with what little power you have... You can SAVE something else.)_

… _What…?_

The ACT option turned to SAVE. Pressing it, I saw the names of Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, Sans, Toriel, and Asgore. I started with Papyrus and Sans. Their faces were obscured by white squares.

 _(You reached out to ASRIEL's SOUL and called out to your friends. They're in there somewhere, aren't they? ... Within the depths of ASRIEL's SOUL, something's resonating...!)_

I told them a skeleton pun.

"Hey, Papyrus? What do you call a skeleton who can't get up?... A lazybones!"

"I MUST CAPTURE A HUMAN!"

"just give up. i did."

I asked them to cook something.

"Papyrus, can you cook something for me?"

"THEY EVERYONE WILL."

"why even try?"

I asked for some help.

"I need help with a puzzle!"

I managed to break through to the skeleton brothers.

"NO! WAIT YOU'RE MY FRIEND! I COULD NEVER CAPTURE YOU!"

"nah, i'm rooting for ya, kid."

Next up was Toriel and Asgore. They were despondent.

I refused to fight.

"Miss Toriel, I'm not going to fight you."

"This is for your own good."

"Forgive me for this."

I comforted her.

"I can't stay here forever."

"No one will leave again."

"This is my duty."

I hugged the poor woman.

"Don't worry. You'll see me again."

The two parents remembered me. They were full of joy.

"Your fate is up to you now!"

"You are our future!"

After that, I turned to Undyne.

I pretended to fight her.

 _SMACK_.

"All humans will die!"

I clashed against her spear.

 _CLANG._

"You're our real enemy."

I asked about life skills.

"How about a cooking lesson?"

Undyne grinned.

"Well, some humans are OK, I guess!"

After that, I looked for Alphys.

I asked about anime.

"What's your favorite cartoon?"

"You hate me, don't you…?"

I encouraged her.

"I'm still here. You have my support."

"I've got to keep lying…"

I asked for her help.

"I need help with a quiz!"

The doctor's eyes cleared.

"No, that's not true! My friends like me! And I like you, too!"

All of my new friends were safe.

"Now what…?"

I looked at the SAVE option.

 _(SAVE- Someone else)_

… _?_

I pressed it… hoping for a miracle.

 _(Strangely, as your friends remembered you... Something else began resonating within the SOUL, stronger and stronger. It seems that there's still one last person that needs to be saved. But who...? ... Suddenly, you realize. You reach out and call their name.)_

 _Chara… thank you helping me…_

"Asriel, we need to talk."

"Huh? What are you doing...?"

One again, I saw the child who fell into Mount Ebott before I did…

A boss monster approached the fallen child…

Asriel reached out to Chara, who would become a dear friend…

Asriel took Chara to his house…

Together, they lived as a happy family…

I continued to speak.

"Asriel, I know you're scared…"

"Wh... what did you do...? What's this feeling...? What's happening to me? No! NO! I don't need ANYONE!"

The fearful child lashed out with rainbow blasts.

"That's okay. I'm scared too…"

"STOP IT! Get away from me! Do you hear me!? I'll tear you apart!"

More rainbow blasts. They were weaker than before.

"I heard about what happened to you."

"... Chara… Do you know why I'm doing this...? Why I keep fighting to keep you around...?"

He released some small fireballs. He wasn't even aiming for me…

"You've been alone this whole time, haven't you?"

"I'm doing this... Because you're special, Chara. You're the only one that understands me. You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore."

More flames.

"You don't have to keep fighting."

"... No... That's not JUST it. I... I... I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara! I care about you more than anybody else!"

More flames.

"I'm here to help you."

"I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again..."

"Asriel…"

Asriel was crying, just like his father once did.

"So, please... STOP doing this... AND JUST LET ME WIN!"

He unleashed all of his magic in a _massive_ rainbow wave, determined to _wipe me from existence_.

"STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!"

HP- 0.000000000001/20

Despite my exhaustion, I continued to reach out.

"Please…"

"… Chara…"

"You don't have to do this."

"I'm so alone, Chara..."

"You don't have to be alone."

"I'm so afraid, Chara…"

"You don't have to be afraid."

"Chara, I..."

"It's okay."

"I..."

* * *

There was another flash, and Asriel reverted back to his younger form. He was rubbing his eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?"

"About that…"

"... I know. You're not actually Chara, are you? Chara's been gone for a long time."

"…Yes, they have."

 _But their ghost helped me on my journey._

"Um... what... What IS your name?"

I whispered it to him.

"... Frisk? That's… a nice name."

"Thank you."

"Frisk... I haven't felt like this for a very long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with everyone's souls inside me... I not only have my own compassion back... But I can feel every other monster's as well. They all care about each other so much. And... they care about you too, Frisk."

 _And despite everything, I care about them as well._

"I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus... Sans... Undyne... Alphys... Toriel. Monsters are _weird_. Even though they barely know you... It feels like they all really love you. Haha."

I waited for Asriel to continue.

"Frisk... I... I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I acted so strange and horrible. I hurt you. I hurt so many people. Friends, family, bystanders... There's no excuse for what I've done."

After thinking for a moment, I spoke.

"I feel… conflicted."

Asriel looked up in surprise.

"On one hand, I CANNOT forgive Flowey for being a _murderer_ and a _complete jerkwad_."

"… right. I understand…"

"But for you, I'm on the fence."

"What do you mean?"

"You may not have been completely in control of yourself, but that doesn't _justify_ everything that happened."

"I… I know…"

"However, we've both done questionable things."

"Huh?"

"After all, Flowey tore me apart with bullets and vines, and I tore him apart with a gardening knife."

"…"

"How about this… Let's bury the hatchet, start over, and move on with our lives."

"… How?"

"Ahem…"

I smiled, and introduced myself.

"My name's Frisk. I'm a human from Ebott Town. What's your name?"

"… Asriel…"

"See, that wasn't too bad, wasn't it?"

Asriel laughed, weakly.

"... Frisk, come on. You're... You're gonna make me cry again... besides, even if you do forgive me... I can't keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But first... There's something I have to do. Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts beating as one. They're all burning with the same desire. With everyone's power... With everyone's determination... It's time for monsters... To finally go free."

Asriel closed his eyes, raised his arms, floated into the air, and began chanting. The souls of the Underground began to swell…

There was a white flash, and the Barrier was destroyed.

Asriel floated back down. He opened his eyes, and turned towards me.

"Frisk... I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's souls... I can't keep maintaining this form. In a little while... I'll turn back into a flower. I'll stop being "myself." I'll stop being able to feel love again. So... Frisk. It's best if you just forget about me, OK? Just go be with the people who love you."

I slowly walked over to him, and put my arms around his shoulders. He hugged back, and I patted his arm. His fur was warm and soft.

"Ha... ha... I don't want to let go..."

Asriel let go, and I stepped backwards.

"Frisk... You're... You're going to do a great job, OK? No matter what you do. Everyone will be there for you, okay?"

He started to walk away.

"Well... My time is running out. Goodbye."

"Bye."

He had one more thing to say.

"By the way... Frisk... take care of Mom and Dad for me, OK?"

"Okay."

* * *

After a white flash, I found myself standing in a white void. I witnessed a human child, with brown hair, pale skin, rosy cheeks, and faint red eyes. They were wearing a green and yellow striped shirt.

 _(Greetings. I am Chara. Thank you. Your power awakened me from death. My "human soul." My "determination." They were not mine. But yours. At first, I was so confused. Our plan had failed, hadn't it? Why was I brought back to life? … You. With your guidance, I realized the purpose of my reincarnation. Together we reforged the friendships that would give us strength. Every time mercy is found. That feeling… Now. Now we have reached the absolute. There is nothing left for me here. It is time for me to move on from this world. And for you to go back to your friends… Thank you… Also, please look after Asriel for me. He always liked taking care of the flowers…)_

Everything faded again.

* * *

"Frisk! This is all just a bad dream…! Please, wake up!"

I slowly opened my eyes. The monsters were waiting for me. Toriel was hovering over my body.

"Oh! You are awake! Thank goodness!"

Alphys chimed in.

"W-we were so worried…! It felt like you were out forever!"

"I thought that I would be out forever."

Undyne was downplaying her nervousness.

"Yeah! Any longer and I would have freaked out! Tell us next time you decide to take a nap, okay!?"

"No promises, Captain."

"yeah, you made papyrus cry like a baby."

"WHAT! I DIDN'T CRY! I DON'T CRY! I JUST… CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYE."

"what did you catch?"

"TEARS!"

Asgore tried to smooth things over.

"Now, now. The important part is that Frisk is all right."

 _Wait, I never got the chance to tell Asgore what my name was…_

"Here, Frisk, why not drink some tea? It'll make you feel better."

Toriel tried to butt in.

"Errr… How about we give them space, first? They must be very exhausted."

 _You said it, lady._

"Though, from what, I am not certain."

… _Seriously?_

"Frisk… We do not remember exactly what happened. There was a flower… And then, everything went white."

… _Typical. I worked my butt off to save everyone, and now no one remembers it… Sigh…_

"But now the barrier is gone. When you are ready, we will all return to the surface."

 _That's the best news I've heard in a long time._

"It seems the door to the east will lead us there now. But before then… Perhaps you might want to take a walk? You can say goodbye to all of your wonderful friends. Do as you wish. We will wait for you here.

After some small talk…

I decided to look for Asriel.

I visited Catty and Bratty…

"You do realize that I'M a human, right?"

"h, oops, really?"

Uh, well, when we said, um... "

"We were hyped for the destruction of humanity..."

"We were, just, like, joking, you know?"

"Did we say that?"

"Probably?"

"It's, like, practically our catchphrase."

"Never mind… I honestly don't care anymore."

… I spoke with Mettaton and Napstablook in Waterfall…

"Oh yes. I suppose I should thank you, too, darling. Before fighting you, I had... Forgotten how fun it was to perform with others. So, I've been searching for HOT TALENTS to fill up my upcoming troupe."

… I learned that Alphys was fired by Toriel…

"That's politics!"

… I learned that the Amalgamates were reunited with their families…

"Hmm, now that our parents are the same entity… Does that mean I'm married to my sister? … Wait, we're dogs. That stuff's normal."

… I visited Snowdrake and his parents…

"The doctah. She brought my wife. Back from the dead. My son. He seems happy again. Our family. It's biggah than evah. Now that my wife. Is combined. With 16 othah people."

… I talked with the Froggits in the Ruins…

"Ribbit, ribbit. (Excuse me, human. You seem like you have grown into a thoughtful and conscientious person. Whether that was from my advice or not… I'm quite proud.) Ribbit."

"Thank you. Your advice did help."

… And I walked to the flowerbed where I first fell in… That's where I found Asriel.

"Don't worry about me. Someone has to take care of these flowers."

"…Ummm…"

"Frisk, please leave me alone. I can't come back. I just can't, OK? I don't want to break their hearts all over again. It's better if they never see me."

 _Sigh…_

"... why are you still here? Are you trying to keep me company?"

"Yes."

Frisk... Hey. Let me ask you a question. Frisk... Why did you come here? Everyone knows the legend, right...? "Travelers who climb Mt. Ebott are said to disappear" ... Frisk. Why would you ever climb a mountain like that? Was it foolishness? Was it fate? Or was it... Because you...?"

 _Wanted to disappear?_

"Well... Only you know the answer, don't you...?"

"It's a LONG story…"

"I know why Chara climbed the mountain. It wasn't for a very _happy_ reason. Frisk. I'll be honest with you. Chara _hated_ humanity. Why they did, they never talked about it. But they felt _very_ strongly about that. Frisk… You really ARE different from Chara. In fact, though you have similar, uh, fashion choices... I don't know why I ever acted as if you were the same person. Maybe... The truth is... Chara _wasn't really the greatest person_. While, Frisk... You're the type of friend I wish I always had. So maybe I was kind of projecting a little bit. Let's be honest. I did some _weird_ stuff as a flower."

 _No comment, Asriel._

"There's one last thing I feel like I should tell you. Frisk, when Chara and I combined our SOULs together... The control over our body was actually _split_ between us. They were the one that picked up their own empty body. And then, when we got to the village... They were the one that wanted to... to use our full power. I was the one that resisted. And then, because of me, we... Well, that's why I ended up a flower. Frisk... This whole time, I've blamed myself for that decision. That's why I adopted that horrible view of the world. "Kill or be killed." But now... After meeting you... Frisk, I don't regret that decision anymore. I did the right thing. If I killed those humans... We would have had to wage war against all of humanity. And in the end, everyone went free, right? I still feel kind of sad knowing how long it took... so maybe it wasn't a perfect decision. But you can't regret hard choices your whole life, right? Well, not that I have much of a life left. But that's beside the point. Frisk, thank you for listening to me. You should really go be with your friends now, OK? Oh, and, please... In the future, if you uh, see me... Don't think of it as _me_ , OK? I just want you to remember me like this. Someone that was your friend for a little while."

"Sure."

"Oh, and Frisk... Be careful in the outside world, OK? Despite what everyone thinks, it's not as nice as it is here. There are a lot of Floweys out there. And not everything can be resolved by just being nice. Frisk... Don't kill, and don't be killed, alright?"

"Okay."

"That's the best you can strive for. Well, see you."

"…"

"Frisk... Don't you have anything better to do?"

I returned to the throne room, and we emerged into the sunlight.

* * *

The sun was setting. I could see the mountains, Ebott Forest, and Ebott City. Toriel was the first to speak up.

"Oh my…"

Asgore replied.

"Isn't it beautiful, everyone?"

Alphys stood with her mouth open in awe.

"Wow… it's e-even better that on TV. WAY better! Better than I ever imagined!"

Undyne was incredulous.

"Frisk, you LIVE with this!?"

"Many humans take it for granted…"

"The sunlight is so nice… and the air is so fresh! I really feel alive!"

Papyrus and Sans gave their two cents.

"HEY SANS… WHAT'S THAT GIANT BALL?"

"we call that "the sun," my friend."

… _!?_

"THAT'S THE SUN!? WOWIE! I CAN'T BELIVE I'M FINALLY MEETING THE SUN!"

Asgore continued.

"I could stand here and watch this for hours…"

Toriel was also happy.

"Yes, it is beautiful, is it not? But we should really think about what comes next."

"Oh, right. Everyone… This is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters."

Asgore turned to me.

"Frisk… Will you act as our ambassador to the humans?"

"… I appreciate the offer, but I just… want to go home."

"IT'S OK FRISK! I'VE GOT YOU COVERED! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE THE AMBASSADOR… I CAN DO IT FOR YOU! I'LL GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!"

He rushed off.

"welp. someone's gotta keep him from getting into trouble. see you guys."

Sans walked back into the mountain, talking another shortcut.

"Man, do I have to do EVERYTHING? Papyrus, wait!"

The passionate captain ran after her friend, yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Hey, Undyne! Wait up!"

The hunched dinosaur chased after her love. That just left Asgore, Toriel, and I.

"Whoops. Uh, should I do something?"

Toriel just glared at the other Boss Monster on the cliffs.

"Well, gotta go!"

Asgore fled with his tail between his legs. Toriel paused for a moment.

"It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off."

The kind woman turned to look at me.

"Frisk… You came from this world right…?"

"Yes."

"So, you must have a place to return to, do you not? What you will you do now?"

… _Sigh._

"Miss Toriel, thank you… for everything… but I really need to go home now. Ebott Town is a fifteen-minute walk from here."

"Ah… I see… Well, I hope that I am not keeping you."

She started to walk away, but she paused. Her eyes were glistening, but her smile was genuine.

"Frisk. "See you around.""

I smiled back.

"See you around."

Toriel walked after the other monsters.

I took a deep breath, and started walking…

* * *

At the town outskirts, my aunt was waiting for me. She was rather cross.

"Frisk? Where the HELL have you been!?"

"Can we talk about this later, Aunt Sally? It's been a long day, and I just want to go home and _sleep_."

"Ugh… Fine, get in the car, ankle-biter."

"Thanks, Aunt Mall-Cop."

I knocked on the front door to my house, and a woman with brown hair opened the door. My mother's brown eyes widened in shock.

"Frisk…?"

"Hey, mom… I'm back."

She hugged me closely, and the two of us began to cry as my aunt watched over us…


	10. Epilogue

**A/N: Undertale and all related characters belong to Toby Fox.**

* * *

 **Epilogue: A New Dawn**

It took several months of arguing between politicians to get the monsters settled on the Surface, but we managed, _somehow_ …

Papyrus managed to get his gloves on a driver's license and a red automobile (no idea how, my friend David bet that Sans had intimidated the DMV). Sans bought a green tricycle, and he frequently outspeeds the automobile, much to his brother's annoyance.

Alphys and Undyne are still in a relationship. Last I heard, they were going to visit a nearby beach with plenty of water and sun. Despite my mixed feelings about the two monsters, I'm really happy for them. I _truly_ mean it.

Mettaton made good on his promise, and he frequently goes on tour with Napstablook and Shyren. Burgerpants got a new job… playing a bush. Poor guy.

Asgore's doing well. He occasionally invites me over for tea, and he's also a part-time groundskeeper. Where, you ask? Well… he works at a school. That reminds me…

Miss Toriel opened a school for children. She's still a little lonely, but she always calls me every day on the phone.

As for me... things returned to normal. Well, what _passes_ for normal around here. I've gained a new appreciation for my family and friends. I thought that my life would go back to being boring, until _something_ happened a few weeks after I got back… but that's a story for another time. For now, I can _rest_.

 _Thank you for reading, and goodnight._


End file.
